You can never be sure
by stroumfita
Summary: You think you know the people in your life. You can easily name the good and the bad guys. What if you were wrong? What if everything you believed shatters in a million pieces? Will you find the strength to adjust? Or will you simply give up?
1. Introduction

**Okay, so, I know I'm supposed to be working on the **_**Two worlds collision**_**, the second part of **_**It can happen to anyone,**_** and trust me, I am… but last night this idea popped into my head, and I just can't stop thinking about it! I have no clue where this will take us, but I'll keep writing, if you want me to…!**

**The story starts from the last part of episode 18 of season 1, where Elena comes home from the Founders' Party.**

**So, read, and feel free to tell me your opinion, suggestions, etc. **

Elena entered her house. It had been a long day, or actually it had been a long month, and she was tired. She wanted nothing more than to crash on her bed, and sleep straight through the night. As she was walking down the corridor, she saw Jeremy sitting on his bed. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty for making Damon take his memories about Vicky away, but it was for the best. She didn't want him to have to deal with all these supernatural things, it was dangerous, and she couldn't afford anything happening to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked standing on the doorframe.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Damon had told her that Jeremy had been asking about Vicky's death. Could he have remembered? He had been avoiding her in the last few days, and she was starting to get very suspicious.

"I'm fine, Elena," he replied annoyed, and looking away from her.

Sighing, she got into her room, closing the door behind her. She threw her pursue onto the bed, and walked towards the mirror to get her hair into a ponnytail. There was a dark figure reflected on the mirror.

"Oh, my God, you scared me!" she screamed turning around to look at Stefan.

"Sorry," he said, his voice unstable "I'm sorry I ran off earlier."

"What happened? Is everything okay?" she asked walking closer to him, even though her mind was screaming to her to keep her distance.

He closed his eyes, thinking over his reply. "Hm, no," he breathed after a few second of silence.

"Talk to me. Stefan, tell me," she pressed him, as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"I tried so hard to keep it together, tonight, and it was working. But then, Matt's mom, she got hurt, and she was bleeding, and I had her blood on my hands."

"And then what happened?" Elena asked terrified. He couldn't have hurt her, right? Stefan would never hurt anyone.

"And then that guy on the parking lot… I wanted to feed on him, and it took everything inside of me not to do it," he said looking her in the eyes. After so many years from feeding on animal blood, he couldn't control his bloodlust. Today he had managed to not hurt anyone, but with every passing minute it was getting, and worse. He knew that sooner, or later, he wouldn't be able to resist.

"But you didn't?" Elena's voice brought his train of thoughts.

"No, but I wanted to."

"Oh, my God, Elena, my head is pounding, I feel like my skin is on fire, I feel this hunger inside of me that I've never had before in my entire life. And all I keep thinking about is how I promised that I would never keep anything from you, and so I'm telling you this."

"It's okay, I need you to tell me this," she tried to comfort him. Deep down, however, she couldn't help but imagine how her life would have been if she had never found out about this world, if she had never met him.

"But I don't want you to see me like this, I don't want you to know that this side of me exists," he insisted. He loved Elena, he wouldn't survive losing her, but the need for the blood was so strong.

"Stefan, you're going to pull through this, I'm going to help you pull through this," she said her voice barely a whisper. Elena didn't know who she was trying to calm down anymore, Stefan or herself. "You're going to be okay, everything is going to be okay," she added a little more forcefully, touching his face with her fingers.

Stefan looked at her beautiful face, only inches away from his own. "Elena," he breathed, trying to make her understand that she was standing too close, she was taking too many risks.

"It's going to be okay," she repeated, leaning towards him. That's when something inside of Stefan snapped, and he could no longer hold back.

"Stefan?" she asked, as she saw his face changing. Her arms instantly fell on her sides, and she stood up instinctively. She knew what was about to happen, and she knew that she stood no chance against him, she wouldn't be able to escape, but she tried anyway. She hadn't even managed to take a step, when she felt strong arms, arms that she once thought would always protect her, grabbing her from the waist.

"I'm sorry, Elena," he whispered, and she closed her eyes to avoid looking into his red ones. In a quick move, he had pinned her on the matress, and she held back a scream. If Jeremy came into the room, Stefan would hurt him as well. How wrong was she? All this time, she thought that it was safe being around Stefan, and now he was going to kill her.

Stefan fixed his eyes on her neck, he could clearly make out the veins, and he could hear her heart sending blood into her whole body. All that mattered in that moment, was her blood, nothing else. Slowly, he lowered his head, and kissed her neck. He felt her shuddering, and he couldn't help but smile against her skin.

"Stefan, please don't," Elena whispered, trying to keep herself from crying. She didn't have the chance to think anything else, though, because Stefan bit down on her neck, hard. Surprised at the great pain, she screamed out in agony, but this only made him drink even more hungrily, causing her even more pain. She tried to hit him, find a way to take him off her, but he locked his hands around her wrists, keeping her steady.

The door of the bedroom opened abruptly, and Jeremy had barely enough time to see that the person who was hovering above his sister was Stefan, before he disappeared through the window. Then his eyes fell on Elena's neck, it was covered in blood. He ran to the bed, and pressed two fingers on her wrist, searching for a pulse. It was weak, but at least she was still alive.

"Elena, Elena," he called, shaking her lightly, but she didn't respond. All the anger he had been feeling for the last couple of days towards his sister, was now replaced by worry. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand through his hair. What should he do? He couldn't just let her die. Stefan would pay for this, for hurting her like that. He saw the cell phone that was on the nightstand, and with shaking hands he grabbed it, and went to the contact list.

"Damon."

"Gilbert? This is a really bad time, so whatever it is, it's going to have to wait," Damon replied in an angry voice, and removed the phone from his ear.

"Wait!"

"What the hell is so important, kid?" he snapped at him. He had just came back home from the Party. After pouring himself a drink, he had sat on the couch, thinking about _the town's favorite son_.

"It's Elena," Jeremy said quickly "you need to come here, at the house, and you need to hurry."

"What happened?" Damon asked through clenched teeth.

"Stefan."

"I'll be there in a minute," Damon replied hanging up. He had been keeping an eye on his brother ever since the vampires of the tomb had gotten him. He was aware of the fact that he had drank Elena's blood, and given that he'd been stubbornly feeding on bunnies and squirrels for all these years, he knew that it'd be hard to control himself. He never expected him to hurt Elena, though. Images started passing in front of his eyes, images of Elena covered in blood, her own blood, of Elena dying, and him being unable to save her. How did he come to care about her so much? He'd spent the greatest part of his life shutting of his emotions, and then suddenly he's in love with a girl, who is identical to the girl who turned him, and shattered his heart. He forced himself to stop thinking so hard, as soon as her house came into view. Not really caring about the neighbours, he broke through the front door, and blurred to her room. And he froze. She was lying on the bed, her eyes closed, barely alive. His heart ached at the sight of her badly injured neck.

"Can you help her?" Jeremy asked bringing him back to reality.

Damon glanced at him, and nodded, before moving towards the bed. He sat down, carefully placing her head on his lap. Not even caring about Jeremy, and whether he'd taken his memories back, or whether he knew that he was a vampire, he bit on his wrist, and brought it to her slightly open lips.

"Come on, Elena, you need to drink," he whispered running a hand through her silky hair "you need to get better." Her eyelids moved a little, but her eyes remained closed.

"Please, Elena," he begged, and felt relief washing over him, as she finally started drinking.

"Good girl," he said touching her cheek "keep drinking, and you'll be as good as new."

Jeremy watched intrigued as Damon was feeding Elena his blood, whispering soothing words, and caressing her. All this time he had hated Damon, he thought that he was nothing but a cruel jerk. He couldn't be any more wrong. He never believed that Stefan would be the one to hurt his sister, and Damon the one to help her. This was just too surreal.

"Jeremy, Elena, I'm home!" Jenna's voice came from downstairs. Jeremy looked at Damon alarmed.

"Get out of here, and tell her that Elena is already asleep. Make sure that she won't come to check on her," Jeremy nodded, and quickly walked to the door, as he could hear Jenna's footsteps coming closer.

"And don't you dare talk to anyone about this," Damon added in a cold voice, and turned his attention at the beautiful girl that was in his arms.

**I don't really know how I feel about this, so give me your opinion! If I keep writing, the chapters will of course be longer that this one. ****And it will be Delena! That's all for now, I think!**


	2. Defense mechanisms

**Good evening, good evening! **

**Wow, it feels weird, but also really nice uploading a chapter on "You can never be sure". **

**Over the last… many months I've been working on "Learning to love again", a story that I absolutely love, and will definitely continue. **

**I am not exactly putting it on a hiatus, I'm not officially taking a break from it. I just need to focus onto something different. Plans about LTLA are always finding their way into my mind, but right now I want to _write_ something else. And I believe that YCNBS is just the right story for me.**

**As you have all probably gathered from the prologue, this is a story written in a different style from my other ones. Obviously enough, I'm writing in third person. It may seem like no big deal for you, but for me it is a great change. I am a little hesitant about it, but experimenting will improve my writing technique. Or so I hope! **

**In addition to this, I am using 'dark Stefan' in this story. If you are looking for the kind, romantic Stefan of S1,2 then I'm in the unpleasant position to announce you that you've come to the wrong place. MAYBE and that's a huge sparkling MAYBE he will make an appearance in later chapters, towards the end of the story. I can make no promises for that, though, because I have not, yet, figured out all the details of this story's plotline. **

**What I can promise you, is a journey that I'll do my best you will enjoy. A journey that will be different from all the others I've taken you to. A journey that even I cannot be sure where it'll lead us. Because, my awesome readers, this is after all 'You can never be sure'. :P**

**Welcome on board! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

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><p><em>Defense mechanisms are more accurately referred to as ego defense mechanisms, and can thus be categorized as occurring when the id impulses are in conflict with each other, when the id impulses conflict with super-ego values and beliefs, and when an external threat is posed to the ego.<em>

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><p>It had been one hour since Damon had received a rather unexpected phone call from little Jeremy Gilbert, and about fifty eight minutes since he'd entered Elena's bedroom. Fifty eight minutes, and she still hadn't woken up. His blood had obviously healed her injured neck, but the more time she spent unconscious, the greater the chances of her dying became. Damon tiredly rubbed his hands over his eyes. He was in desperate need of a good night's sleep, and lots lots of blood. But it was probably the first time that the lack of that nutritious crimson substance wasn't the thing bothering him. No. It was the fact that if Elena's heart stopped beating, the blood that he had admittedly half-forced down her throat would turn her into the one creature she hated with a passion. <em>A vampire.<em>

Yes, Elena becoming a vampire would definitely make it impossible to tell her from her many centuries older vampire ancestor, Katherine. _Screw Katherine,_ Damon thought to himself, gently caressing the smooth skin of Elena's cheek. What really unsettled him was that if Elena woke up a vampire, she would never speak to him again. He knew it, and for some odd reason, he dreaded it.

Normally, Damon Salvatore didn't give a shit whether someone wanted him around, or not. He could either force his company on them until he got bored, or decide that they weren't worthy of his time, and move on. But this was far from the case with human girl Elena Gilbert. Unbeknownst to her, and until recently to him, she had made her way straight to his heart. _How come the only girl I actually care about not only wants nothing to do with me, but is also dating my stupid childish usually bunny murderer brother?_ _Whom she'll undoubtedly eventually forgive for going all vampire-y on her, and they'll live happily ever after in their blissful love._

Damon's bitter thoughts came to an abrupt halt, when said girl stirred, her eyelids opening for a split second.

Elena could tell that there was something weird going on. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but she felt that something critical had happened, something that had left her feeling insecure, and vulnerable. She fought against the thick fog that seemed to occupy her mind, but came up with nothing. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly cranked one eye open, silently thanking whoever had made sure to keep the lightening in the room-was that her bedroom?- low. Without further hesitation she fully opened her eyes, sitting up on her bed at the same time. For a moment everything was white, but as her vision cleared out, she managed to make out a form sitting next to her.

She couldn't really have controlled her body's reaction to his presence, namely the sharp intake of breath, or the speeding of her heartbeat. Or at least, that's what she told herself, as she took in the gorgeousness that belonged to none other than Damon Salvatore. _Your boyfriend's brother,_ her harsh mental voice scolded her, and suddenly she was hit with images. Images that had to be a part of some sort of twisted dream, nightmare to be exact. Stefan's reflection on her mirror, the agonized look in his eyes as he confessed how strong the pull for blood was, his firm hold on her body, and of course, his sharp teeth sinking into her flesh, causing her more pain than she had ever experienced before. With tears shining in her eyes, Elena brought her hand to her neck, and felt for any wounds. She found nothing, except for her soft skin. But when her gaze landed on the top of her dress, she noticed that it had a much darker color than the rest of the fabric. It was stained with blood. _Her _blood_._

"It really did happen, didn't it?" she asked in a small voice, hesitantly looking at Damon, who simply nodded in response.

Because… really… what more could he have said? _Yes, Elena, your beloved boyfriend attempted to drain you dry, and I had to heal you with my blood?_ _Oh, and you should be extra careful for the next twenty four hours, because if something happens, and you die, you'll actually come back as a vampire._

"How did you know?"

"Your brother gave me a midnight call," Damon replied forcing a smirk on his lips. "At first I thought he was trying to figure out his sexual preferences by hitting on me, and seeing where that would take us, but when he told me what had happened…" He was compelled to look away from her smart eyes, for fear of his true emotions showing "Well, I instantly knew I had to come, and save you. What better way to repay you for saving my gorgeous body from turning into ashes in Georgia?"

Elena stared at him thoughtfully, trying to grasp her mind around the fact around the fact that _Damon Salvatore_ had actually helped someone. This wasn't in him, or actually, it wasn't a part of his personality that he openly demonstrated. But throughout the time he'd been in Mystic Falls, Elena had noticed that there were moments -very few, yes, but they existed nonetheless- that his behavior was gentle, and caring. Like the time he saved her after she had crushed her car. Sure, he basically kidnapped her, and took her against her will on a road-trip. But he made sure that she was safe, and in the end that trip was exactly what she had needed. _A time out for five minutes_, that's what he had called it, and she couldn't help the small smile that made her way to her lips.

Damon watched as Elena's gaze moved from his eyes to her nightstand, and lingered on her framed photo with Stefan. If he hadn't been a vampire, he would have probably missed the flicker of fear in her eyes, and the small shudder that ran through her body. Exactly how violent had his brother been to make his girlfriend petrified at his mere sight? He mentally rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of his own question. Of course Stefan had been rough with her. In his over a century and a half long existence, Damon had often had "angry" meals, but even when his feelings were incontrollable he never created that much of a mess. No, Elena's bite marks were deep, vile. Marks that your typical vampire would never inflict, regardless of the level of his hunger, or his emotional state.

But then again, Stefan wasn't your typical vampire, Damon forced himself to admit. He had never managed to get his bloodlust under control. He would either entirely suppress it, or fully embrace it. And honestly, Damon couldn't decide which technique he hated the most. With the first scenario, his brother turned into a living, breathing poster of Prozac, pretending to be something he would never again be, and pissing the shit out of him. In the second case, though, he was a full-blown ripper. A ruthless creature, who would do anything, say anything, just to gain access to the one and only thing that mattered to him. Blood. And once he got a hold of it, he would never stop. Until it was really over.

Damon felt a tugging sensation inside his chest as realization hit him like a tone of bricks. Stefan wouldn't stop. It was indeed, surprising and totally uncharacteristic of him to run away, when Jeremy walked in Elena's bedroom, instead of snapping his neck, or draining him, or perhaps even both. Stefan's head, _ripper_ _Stefan's_ head was a dark place, that even the great Damon Salvatore couldn't begin to understand. If he knew one thing about this version of his brother, however, it was that he would be back to finish what he had started.

Stefan would be coming back to kill Elena.

And Damon would be damned if he didn't fight with everything he had to protect her from his brother's claws.

Elena took a deep breath, and moved towards the side of the bed. She desperately needed to take a shower in order to clear both her body, and her mind. Everything was a mess right now, and she was never good at operating when things weren't in order. It was a habit she'd had since she was nothing but a child, one that Caroline and Jeremy used to mock her about. But was it really so strange and wrong, that she preferred to place the bottle of water on the left side of her books, and her toast on top of them in her school bag? Was it so strange and wrong that her clothes were sorted by season, color and length in her closet?

Her feet came in contact with the cold floor, and she barely refrained from hissing at the difference in temperature. With everything she'd gone through lately, walking around without socks, or slippers shouldn't really bother her. Pressing her palms against the mattress of her bed, she pushed her body off it, and was immediately hit by a dizzy spell. She felt her form wobbling, and she hopelessly reached out her arms, knowing well that she wouldn't be able to avoid her fall, since she'd spent countless hours in that room, and she was aware that the only thing her hands would find was the air.

She was wrong. Her fingers curled around soft leather, as strong arms wrapped around her body, holding her upright, and carrying most of her weight. Beyond surprised at the turn of events, she opened her eyes –that had probably shut down in preparation of her drop- and gasped as she realized she was basically standing mere inches away from Damon.

Her lips parted, and Damon groaned internally as her hot breath fanned over his tightly pursed lips. This was wrong, on so many levels. He couldn't be so damn attracted at her, for both of their sakes. He wasn't supposed to be falling in love ever again, and she was dating his brother. She wasn't supposed to be intently staring at his lips, with a look that could only be described as longing in her warm brown eyes. _Wait, what?_

Elena was brought up to reality by Damon clearing his throat. Her gaze snapped up to meet his, and she felt her cheeks blushing with embarrassment. What was wrong with her? She had decided to be past these… these feelings for Damon, and yet, here she was making a fool of herself by shamelessly ogling him. She attempted to pull back from his powerful hold, but it was impossible.

Damon couldn't help but smirk as she thrashed around in his arms, amazed at her sudden strength. Wasn't she almost fainting, and taking her place as floor decoration moments ago?

"Easy, kitten," Damon chuckled "with how energetic you seem right now, someone would suspect you only _pretended_ to be losing your balance, so that I could rescue you again."

Elena huffed as Damon's words sank in. "Damon, if you have some knight in shining armor complex I suggest you found another girl to be your damsel in distress. I am not willing to fill that role for you." With a final jerk, she slipped out of his grasp, and glared up at him.

"So, you don't want me to save your ass, again, Elena? That's what you're saying?" Damon asked for clarification, and she laughed loudly in response.

"You are the last person I need to protect me, Damon. In fact, I need to be protected _from_ you. This has not changed since when you first came to Mystic Falls, and I'll let you in on a little secret: it never will."

Damon would never admit it, but those words hit him straight to his heart. He had long ago accepted the fact that he was a monster, a non-human blood drinking creature. But somehow the idea of Elena being afraid of him irked him. He knew that it was crazy, but he hoped that she had started leaning on him. When she had invited him over earlier that day, and asked his opinion on Stefan's bloodlust, he hoped that it meant she was starting to see him as a friend. And he felt absolutely excited about that. Because, God… even _he _wasn't naïve enough to wish that she would at some point be interested in a more than friendly relationship with him. The idea alone was absurd, but he was still disappointed at her confession. And he reacted in the only way he knew.

"Fine then, the next time your boyfriend attempts to make dinner out of you, call your ignorant witch of a friend to help you out, or better yet, the lacking brain-cells Caroline. I'm sure you'll live to see the light of the next day."

Elena stood frozen in place, while Damon fumbled with the window, growling a long string of curses since it stubbornly refused to open. When he finally reached his goal, he disappeared in the dark night, leaving the window open behind him. She shivered as the cool air hit her bare skin, calming her down enough to understand what she had just done. She had pushed away the only person that had the will and power to protect her. The only person she was afraid to acknowledge her feelings for. The only person that she could, and would never have.

On the back porch of the Gilbert house, Damon rested his forearms on the banister, and groaned in frustration. He hated that she had this power, this ability to get him out of control. But on the other hand, he loved this same ability, because the truth was… Elena Gilbert was the only person–and he had met a lot of them- in a long time that managed to awaken his emotions. And anger, pain, they were both better than nothing. Turning off that magic switch had been the easy way out, and it had worked for him for a while. Not anymore, though.

He had reached a certain level of maturity after spending over a century on earth, and he had come to a point in his life where he was no longer satisfied with simply existing. He wanted something more, he needed something more. The prospect of opening up to another person, of being vulnerable again, scared him shitless, but it was nothing compared to the terror he felt when he realized that nobody would be willing to get to know him.

He was a dick.

Everybody hated him.

He was doomed to be forever alone.

And that saddened him to no end.

**I honestly hope you enjoyed the first actual chapter of 'You can never be sure' and that you will be staying with me for the rest of the ride! **

**Either way, feel free to leave a review! **

**You can add me on twitter: ts_eirini**

**Take care, my lovelies! **


	3. We all hide something

**Good evening, everyone!**

**Let me start by saying that I appreciate every alert/favorite/review this story gets! It means a lot realizing that you are _not_ the only one enjoying your story! :P**

**Regarding this chapter… even though I had some trouble writing it, and initially I had my doubts about it… now, I honestly believe it couldn't be any better. I hope you'll have the same opinion with me!**

**I apologize in advance for the lack of Damon. He will be back! Of course! **

**Ready? Go! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

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><p><em>We all hide something.<em>

_Be it a part of the truth, our feelings, or a dead body… it doesn't really make a difference._

_We all have secrets. _

_End of story._

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><p>Elena sighed against her pillow, and stole a glance at the alarm on her nightstand. It was 5.30. Five freaking thirty in the morning, and she was wide awake. The extremely few hours she had actually managed to fall asleep hadn't helped her body rest. Instead, she had been tortured by more nightmares than she was willing to count, and therefore, now, she craved nothing but to curl in a corner, or even in the dark confines of her wardrobe, if it meant that she would get to hide from the rest of the world.<p>

Hide from Stefan, to be more exact.

The fact that once the sun was up she would have to go to school, both comforted her, and frightened her. On the one hand, it would give her a much needed distraction. Her mind would have to focus on the mundane routine of the 21st century's teenager. And mundane was good, more than good. It was way way better than almost having died less than twenty four hours ago, being afraid of your vampire boyfriend, and trying to keep in control your ethically wrong attraction to a certain male.

Elena groaned in frustration as she threw the covers off her body, and padded towards the bathroom. What was she supposed to do? Act like nothing had happened, attempt to discuss it with Stefan, or stay as far away from him as possible, like her instinct of survival screamed at her? Attack, or not, she was still his girlfriend, and she could understand that what he was going through wasn't easy. Wasn't it her role to help him out? Wasn't this some kind of silent agreement they'd made, when she decided to be with him, despite his undead status?

_But I wasn't expecting him putting my life in danger,_ Elena thought to herself, as she sat down on the edge of the bathtub. Stefan had always been kind, and sweet, and romantic. Most of all, he'd been careful, considerate of her wellness. The Stefan she saw yesterday wasn't _her_ Stefan. The blood he'd drank, _her_ blood that _she_ had made him drink had changed him. It had transformed him into a cold creature with no feelings, no hesitations when it came to getting what he wanted.

"It's my fault," she whispered, tears slowly building in her eyes. "It's all my fault, and I need to fix this."

Her train of thoughts was interrupted, when the door that lead to Jeremy's bedroom opened, and her exhausted-looking brother walked inside, apparently oblivious to her presence.

A loud gasp escaped his lips, when he all but bumped into Elena's knees, his eyes opening to the their normal size, their brown gazes locking.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" he asked abruptly, and Elena flinched at his tone.

"I can't really go to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, he's…" her voice broke, and Jeremy sighed, before taking a seat by her side.

"Every time you close your eyes, Stefan is there?" Jeremy offered, and watched as his sister nodded curtly.

He was angry at her. Man, he' never been angrier at another person, but seeing her like this… so broken, so fragile… he couldn't take it. Holding a grudge to your sister for lying to you was one thing, but attacking your girlfriend was a completely another one. If he wanted to be clear with himself, and judge the events of last night with human standards, Jeremy considered what Stefan did, rape. And he couldn't just let someone go away with raping his sister.

"Do you want me to deal with him?" He was only half-joking, something that apparently escaped Elena, since her loud chuckle echoed in the room.

"Like you attempted to deal with Matt when you caught us making out in my bedroom?"

"Hey, he was basically groping you!"

"He was my boyfriend, Jeremy," Elena pointed out, memories of her younger brother storming into the room and tackling Matt on the ground flooding her mind.

"I thought you were trying to push him away, and I figured you'd need my help. I was only thirteen, I couldn't exactly make out a grunt from a moan!"

"Your being thirteen didn't stop you from trying to beat up a football player."

"Well, my sister's virtue was in danger, I didn't have time to consider my opponent's strength."

"This time you don't even stand a chance of landing a punch, Jer. Stefan is faster and stronger than you."

And with those words, the warm, playful atmosphere that had settled between the two siblings vanished. They were left staring at each other, as if struggling to get a hold of the thoughts swirling into the other's mind.

"This time I won't be alone, and it won't be random." Jeremy spoke in a small but firm voice that immediately grabbed Elena's attention.

"What do you mean you won't be alone? Are you… are you planning to work with _Damon_

against Stefan?" Damon would most probably get him killed, not to mention that he wouldn't be willing to work alongside a human to… detain his own brother.

"No, I wasn't talking about Damon. I may, or may not know someone else that could help me handle Stefan." Jeremy said cryptically, not sure how many details he could share with his sister. He was aware that Anna had been trying to keep a low profile, and he didn't want to bring her in the middle of the mess that was the Salvatore brothers. He didn't even know if she would be willing to help him out, after she found out about Vicky.

"Know someone else? Some other vampire?" Elena asked, her eyes filled with confusion, her eyebrows raised. Jeremy merely nodded in response, granting her the time to mull over the new information.

"And you want to _deal_ with Stefan? How? Why…You know what, why are we even talking about this? How do you know about this? You were supposed to be safe." Elena cried out, standing up, and fixing her gaze on Jeremy. He was calm, too calm for her liking, and especially taking into account that they were talking about vampires at the crack of the dawn. She had gone to extreme lengths to ensure that Jeremy wouldn't be a part of this world, how the hell did he find himself back into it? And what was this other vampire he had mentioned? What danger had he put himself into this time?

Elena was so absorbed in her frantic internal monologue, that she missed Jeremy's expression hardening, as he stood up to his full height, and positioned his body directly in front of hers. He wasn't going to give her the opportunity to back down from this, he wasn't going to give her the opportunity to walk away. He was angry, and betrayed, and he needed answers from her. Hell, he deserved to get some answers, after having saved her life.

"I know about this, because I read your diary." He enunciated every word, smiling inwardly, when her jaw dropped. She was shocked. Good. He had been shocked as well, when he found out that the girl he was in love with had been turned into a vampire only to be killed a few hours later. He had also been shocked when he found out that his sister had taken his memories away with the help of Damon Salvatore, the same man who was responsible for turning Vickie.

"You read my diary? Jeremy, you had no ri…" Elena started saying, but was interrupted by Jeremy's groan of frustration.

"Oh, save me the lecture, Elena. _You_ invaded my privacy first, so I'm pretty sure I had the right to snoop into your room, and dig up your pathetically hidden diary." Elena gasped as he pressed his finger against her shoulder, harsh, but nonetheless fair accusations flying out of his mouth.

"What… what do you know?" She whispered in a trembling voice, in an effort to evaluate the situation. How much damage had been done? What part of the truth was Jeremy cognizant of?

"Everything, Elena, I know everything, and I'm so disappointed at you."

"Jeremy, I'm so sorry, but you have to understand the reasons why I asked Damon to compel you," he listened carefully at her, helplessly hoping that she'd say the words he needed to hear. "The night that Vicky died, it was like mom, and dad died all over again. It was all over your face, and it hurt so much to see you like this. I just wanted to take away your pain. I was only trying to help you, I'm sorry."

"Do you regret it?" Elena inhaled deeply upon hearing his question. _Did she regret it?_ Did she regret her feeble effort to keep her brother out of harm's way? Did she regret helping him feel a little less miserable? No, she didn't regret her decision. In fact, were she given a second chance, she'd do the exact same thing.

Jeremy stiffened as he so expertly read his sister's expression. Just like he had anticipated, she had let him down. She was being stubborn again, and unable to see the situation from another point of view. Well, in that case he didn't want to be in the same room with her anymore.

"Jer, Jeremy, come on…" Elena murmured, getting a hold of his arm. "Think about it."

"I am thinking about it, Elena," he replied, roughly walking away from her "I am thinking about it, and do you know what I see? I see that you won't let me grow up! I get that I'm your little brother, and it's your instinct to protect me, but at some point you have to realize that I have to learn to deal with _my_ life and _my_ problems on _my_ _own_! I can't have you rushing here and cleaning after my mess. I am almost an adult, Elena, and you have to let me live my life, and experience everything that comes along with it."

"But Jeremy, that wasn't fair to you!" Elena cried out, trying to reason with him.

"No, Elena, do you know what was not fair? Stealing my memories! I know you think that Damon took my suffering away, but it's still there. Even if I can't remember why, I still feel empty, alone, and making me forget wouldn't fix this. It would never fix what is really wrong."

These were the last words Jeremy spoke before walking back to his room, and locking the door behind him. For thirty whole minutes Elena struggled, she struggled to do what Jeremy had claimed she couldn't. But honestly, no matter which way she looked at it, she had done nothing to be guilty about. She had been helping him, perhaps not in the best way, but she had used whatever means were available at the time.

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><p>The sun had just started rising in the horizon, when Elena found herself staring at her cell phone, and in particular at two consecutive contacts. <em>Damon Salvatore<em> and _Stefan Salvatore._ She would have to confront both of them that day, but she couldn't decide who should be the first. Damon, or Stefan? Stefan, or Damon? The two names kept ringing in her ears as she gazed at the sky that slowly turned from pitch black to a dark shade of blue with yellow and orange highlights.

She actually felt more at ease with the thought of talking to Damon. He had been upset when he had left her room the previous night, and it wasn't hard to figure that he'd spent the night drinking his precious bourbon. By now, he'd have put their argument aside, and pretend that nothing had happened. Even if their contact was limited to a mere phone call, she would still be able to picture his waggling eyebrows every time he'd change an innocent expression into a sexual innuendo, and his annoying but so damn sexy _–wait, what? where did this come from?-_ smirk when he'd say something that would make her uncomfortable.

Stefan on the other hand… she had no idea what to prepare herself for. Would he still be out of control, or would he have cooled down? Would they manage to have a civilized conversation? All in all, which Stefan would she be interacting with? The one she had fallen in love with, or the one who made the hair on the back of her neck stand?

The universe apparently got tired from waiting for her to make a decision, because suddenly her phone started vibrating in her hands, and Stefan's number flashed on the screen. Elena took a deep breath, and braced herself for whatever horrible dialogue would ensue during the next minutes.

She couldn't have been any more wrong.

"Elena?" Stefan spoke her name in almost a whisper, a pained and clearly worn out whisper. She exhaled in relief at the familiar sound, before smiling softly. _He was back._ "Elena, are you there?"

"Yes, Stefan, I am right here. How are you?"

"I am devastated, Elena. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that I lost control, especially that I lost control with _you_. That was never supposed to happen. I understand if you want nothing to do with me after what I did last night, bu…"

"Stefan, wait. Wait!" she cut in his speech, finding his rambling mildly attractive. "I promised you something yesterday, I promised that I'd help you pull through this. I'm not saying I'm okay with you turning on me, because I'm not. It was scary, but… I know you are stronger than this, Stefan. You're stronger than the blood, and you're better than who the blood makes you. I cannot overlook that this is partially my fault, so I'm not going to give up on you. It might be hard, but I don't care, I'll help you get over this. I'll be there every step of the way."

"No, maybe it's better if I just stay away from you for a while, until it's safe, until I am sure that I can trust myself around you." Elena vehemently shook her head at his words. She wouldn't agree at this, she couldn't let him fight this battle on his own.

"No." She said in the firmer voice she could master, "I am certain, Stefan, and you cannot change my mind. I'm helping you with this."

Stefan let out a resigned breath, and checked his appearance on the mirror.

"Okay, if you insist."

"I insist," Elena re-assured him from the other line, and he allowed the tiniest smile to find its way to his lips. Maybe this would be easier than he had expected.

"Then, who am I to deny a gorgeous girl like you?" his words caused a giggle to escape her lips, and he closed his eyes as he marveled at the beautiful sound. She truly had the sweetest voice.

"So, should I come by the Boarding house, and then we can drive to school together?" Elena suggested, catching him completely off guard.

"No!" he blurted out before he could control himself, and the change in Elena's demeanor was both immediate and obvious.

"No?" she asked flatly, and Stefan couldn't help inwardly cursing his stupidity.

"No, that's…I meant…" he inhaled through his nose, fighting with everything he had to keep his emotions in check. He couldn't lose it.

"I am at the Boarding house, but I want to go to the woods and hunt, before heading to school," he explained, and Elena nodded in understanding.

"Okay, so, I guess I'll meet you there?" she said, running a hand through her already tangled hair.

"Yes, I'll see you there. I love you, Elena." He had been saying those words for weeks now, and they used to bring warmth into her heart. But this time, there was no delicious tingling on her skin, there was no instinctive smile. Only a pressure on her chest, as if someone was clutching his fingers around her lungs, squeezing them together, and keeping her from breathing.

"I love you, too," she eventually whispered, but even to her own ears she sounded cold, and detached.

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><p>Elena, and frankly all of the students of Mystic Falls High, watched as Stefan Salvatore's car entered the parking lot. She knew that he was really protective of it, never actually using it, in fear of somehow damaging it. So, this was a surprise, a good one. And when Stefan turned off the engine, and exited the beautiful vehicle with a huge smile adoring his face, Elena realized what a fool she had been. This was <em>Stefan. <em>The guy who brought her journey back without stealing a peek. The guy whose kisses made her blood boil with excitement. Sure, he'd made a mistake, but he still cared about her. And as she started approaching him, she came to the conclusion that she cared about him, too. Yesterday had just been a bad day. But it was over. And it wouldn't be coming back.

"Nice car," she called out at him.

"I thought it was a waste to leave it in the garage."

His lips were gentle as they pressed against hers, the sensation familiar. She smiled as he pulled away, and their gazes connected.

"I wasn't sure you would be coming today," she breathed and he shrugged his shoulders in response.

"I wasn't sure either. But I stayed up all night thinking about what I had done," his hand raised to cup her cheek, and she leaned into his touch "I will never forgive myself for that, Elena. I wish it hadn't come down to this, but it was also my wake-up all. Me endangering your safety was also me hitting my lowest point. Now I can start moving upwards again. And after this morning's hunting I feel much more in control than before. It's a great feeling."

"Does that mean you're okay, now? With all the cravings?" she questioned, and Stefan nodded.

"Yeah, the worst part is over, so… now, all I want to do is just spend as much time with you as possible."

"I'm okay with that." And she was really okay with that. How could she have believed that she had lost him for good? How could she have believed that she could simply give up on him?

This time the kiss they shared was a little more promising, and Elena found it particularly hard to force herself back to reality.

"We're going to be late," she pointed out, and he glanced awkwardly at his car.

"Okay, uh, you know what? I'll catch up with you, I'm gonna grab my stuff. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," Elena agreed, as suspicion slowly and effortlessly crawled into her heart. She shook her head lightly, and pushed the unsettling feeling away. This was Stefan. Surely, he wasn't trying to hide something from her, he was just making sure that she wouldn't be late for class. Surely…

Stefan's smile disappeared the moment Elena turned her back on him. _This was a little too close_, he thought to himself, as he opened the trunk of his vintage car. Positioning his body so that he was obscuring everyone else's view of its insides, he let his eyes trail on the young woman lying there. She had been beautiful last night; now she was nothing but a pile of dead meat, drenched in whatever blood had escaped her wounds. Stefan sighed as he picked up his schoolbag, and started walking towards the school.

That woman had been nothing but a distraction.

Soon, he'd have what he really wanted.

He just had to be patient.

His plan was coming along pretty nicely so far, after all.

"Soon," he breathed to himself, as he spotted Elena across the lot.

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><p><em>We all hide something.<em>

_Be it a part of the truth, our feelings, or a dead body… it doesn't really make a difference._

_We all have secrets._

_End of story._

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><p><strong>I know you probably hate Elena right now, so go on, tell me all about it in your reviews! <strong>

**You can follow me on twitter: /ts_eirini**

**Until next time, take care!**


	4. Instincts

**Good morning, everyone!**

**I appreciate every single alert/favorite/review this story receives. I also like that some of you chose to share with me your frustration on certain parts of the plot/characterization. I am willing to discuss, explain, etc. as long as you are not downright rude!**

**Anyway, this chapter was really bothering me at first; I think me trying to add Bonnie in here, was the main reason. In the end, it turned out to be really fun to write! To be honest, I did postpone Bonnie's appearance. You don't mind, do you? **

**Hmm, what else? Right… about Elena's choice to trust Stefan. For everyone questioning her decision, here's what I replied to those who shared their thoughts with me: **

**First of all, keep in mind that this is Elena of season 1, and not the Elena of season 3. Her experience with and knowledge on vampires is minimum. Over the last few months she has fallen in love with Stefan, and gotten in a relationship with him. A relationship based on trust, and honesty. So, when Stefan tells her that he is better, that he can control himself, and that he won't put her in danger again, she believes him. She believes that it was one bad moment, that is never going to be repeated.**

**And honestly, Elena is doing nothing but what many women(unfortunately) would do. She refuses to understand the seriousness of the situation. Instead of accepting the fact that she is-more or less- in an abusive/ harmful relationship, she prefers to focus on her hope that "it was just one time" and that Stefan really cares about her.**

**She's trying to be optimistic, and see the best in him, because, honestly... you can't tell me that this isn't what she's been doing on the show, too.**

**Plus, she is feeling guilty. She believes that if she hadn't forced him to take her blood, he wouldn't have gotten out of his animal-diet, and there would be no reason for him to attack her.**

**Anyway, as you probably noticed in "We all hide something" Elena deep down knows that Stefan is dangerous, and her fear will eventually be confirmed. And it's not going to be pretty.**

**Elena didn't have any physical reaction to being close to Stefan only because the signals he was sending her indicated that he would never again hurt her, and because, like I previously explained, it's easier for her to cover her eyes and not see what's right in front of her.**

**Ready for the new chapter? Go! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

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><p><em>Instinct:[mass noun] the fact or quality of possessing innate behavior patterns.<em>

_e.g. Instinct told her not to ask the question._

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><p>Elena sighed as she watched Bonnie practically flying out of her seat the moment the bell rang. The first time it had happened, she thought that perhaps Bonnie needed to go to the bathroom, or talk to a teacher. But this was the end of the seventh period, and Elena could no longer name it 'coincidence'. No matter how weird she found it, she had to accept the fact that Bonnie was avoiding her. Was it something she had done? Something she had said? She could use a friend she would be able to talk freely with at that point, but how was she supposed to fix things between them, if she didn't even know the reason why they had broken apart?<p>

"What are you doing this evening?" Stefan asked bringing her back to reality, and placing his hand on the small of her back.

"I don't know…. I guess I should catch up on homework. With everything that's been going on during the last months, I've really fallen behind," she replied, giving him a small smile, and inserting the combination to her locker. "Alaric is not at all pleased with me after my last test. Honestly, I'm not pleased with myself either. I mean… C on a history test? It's not even Maths, or Chemistry!"

"Do you want me to deal with him?" Elena looked back at him in surprise. His voice was unusually sharp, and anyway, she was growing tired of everyone around her dying to 'deal' with others. They were humans, or something close to that, not silly tiny bugs that you could spray, and not care less about their death.

"I can study, and do better on the next test, Stefan. This is how _humans_ deal with their issues," she snapped, angrily pushing her notebooks in the locker, and meticulously avoiding his gaze.

Stefan inhaled deeply through his nose as he felt his vampire features coming to the surface. He had worked so damn hard to form a perfectly detailed plan, one that wouldn't fail, one that would mark his epic return to the real vampire world. And there she was… a mere human like herself, getting him so riled up, that he was actually contemplating simply getting this over with. _But that wouldn't be fun, now, would it?_ he thought, gathering all of his will power to push his fangs back into his gums.

"Elena, hey, Elena," he whispered, ever so gently touching her arm. Her small frame tensed under his touch, and he waited until she slowly turned around to face him. Their eyes met, and she audibly swallowed.

"I'm sorry, okay," her hands sneaked around his neck, and touched his skin. He barely kept from laughing out loud. How could he have believed he was in love with this girl? She was too naïve, too easy to be played with. At least Katherine was smart.

"I only meant that Alaric would understand that school hasn't been your priority, lately."

"I know he would," she nodded at his words. "But I don't want him to. Yes, our town is full of supernatural creatures, but I can't let that distract me from my own life anymore."

"Does that include me, too?"

"No, of course, not," she whispered, pressing a quick kiss on his lips.

It was less than a day ago that Elena had asked herself a similar question. How would her life be if she hadn't met Stefan? Would things be better, or worse for her? Then again… it didn't matter, anymore, did it? She owed him, now. She had to help him.

"Elena!" Caroline's chirpy voice broke her train of thoughts, as a blur of blonde hair passed in front f her eyes, and a set of tiny but strong arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Caroline!" she shrieked back, taking a few steps to steady both of their bodies. "What is it? What happened?"

"The Founders' Court happened!" the other girl replied with an excited expression on her face. "You know, Miss Mystic Falls?"

"Oh, right," Elena mumbled more to herself than anyone else. "We signed up for this so long ago… I completely forgot."

"So, does this mean you are dropping out, then?" Elena chuckled at the hopeful tone in Caroline's words.

"No, I can't. It was my mother who wanted me to participate."

"Oh," Caroline said awkwardly, mentally scolding herself for being stupid once again. How was it that she always managed to lead the conversation on so touchy subjects? "Anyway, we need to find ourselves the _best_ dresses. I am thinking about something black, or purple. Definitely purple. What do you say? What will you wear?" Elena burst out into booming laughter that had Caroline smiling, too. They hadn't spoken a lot, lately, but they had known each other for a ridiculously long time. She didn't need Elena to say anything. Just from looking into her eyes, she could tell that she wasn't happy anymore. Something was clearly bothering her, and Caroline wished she could be the one to help her.

"I honestly have no idea, Care. I mean… I only just found out, didn't I? I don't even officially have an escort, yet."

"Oh, that's nonsense," Caroline brushed Elena away with a flick of her wrist. Was she seriously worried about this? "You have your lovely boyfriend Stefan! I'm sure he'd be more than happy, and honored to escort you. Wouldn't you, Stefan?" she asked, linking their arms, and bating her eyelashes to him. Stefan would always be an attractive man to her eyes, but the moment he became Elena's boyfriend, he was off limits for her. Yes, even Caroline Forbes didn't do best-friends' boyfriends. Now, ex's… that was a completely different issue. Even though, if she wanted to be honest with herself, things with Matt had started falling apart over the last few days.

"Of course I will escort Elena, if she wants me too," Stefan replied in that sweet tone that normally made her cry out 'awww'. She didn't, however, because something else caught her attention. A short moment before Elena's lips quirked up into a smile, a flash of something akin to discomfort crossed her brown eyes. _What was that?_

"Thank you, Stefan," Elena eventually murmured, and Caroline clapped her hands, as she added in a mental list to find out what was going on between these two ASAP.

"Great! Now that this is settled, all we need to do is find a dress, shoes, jewelry, and figure out what we're going to do with our make-up and hair." Caroline could feel her anxiety rising up to almost insufferable levels. She had so many things to organize and so little time…

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><p>Damon pulled at the handle of the first drawer, and let his gaze shamelessly wander over its insides. He pushed around the seemingly endless white and pink panties, in search of something that would be worth his attention. Oh, and it was definitely worth his attention. He couldn't keep the smirk off his face, as he grabbed a red lacy thong in his hands. Bringing it towards his nose, he found out that it unfortunately didn't smell like her. So, he closed his eyes, and imagined it on Elena's toned body. <em>She would look ravishing in this,<em> he thought, his sensitive ears picking the sound of her car's ignition. He casually sat up on the desk, his fingers still playing with the small underwear, while Elena's steps moved closer to her bedroom. One second she was calmly walking through the door, and the next one she was running like a crazy woman.

Elena couldn't believe that this was happening. She didn't really mind that Damon was at her house, she had been meaning to call him, after all, but her plans hadn't involved him unearthing this particular piece of clothing. Unceremoniously, she dropped her bag in the middle of the floor, and lunged for the red thong. But Damon being Damon, and never missing an opportunity to embarrass her, raised his arm in the air, and grinned triumphantly, when she huffed in annoyance.

Damon relished in the blush that crept up her cheeks, as she glared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Give it back, Damon!" she growled, and he shook his head from side to side.

"Nope, can't do," he replied, allowing the underwear to dangle from his forefinger. Elena's eyes were focused on his every move. Ever so slowly, he lowered his arm bringing it to a level that she could reach, if only she jumped. And jump, she did…

Elena didn't even pause to think how childishly she was acting. All that mattered was that Damon's hands stopped touching _this_ underwear. This underwear that she had bought for none other than herself, in a rather brave moment of her life. She wasn't exactly a girl with low self-esteem, she knew she had a fine body. But from time to time, she enjoyed wearing something a little more revealing than her usual clothes, and gaze at her reflection on the mirror. Or add something a little sexier under her normal attire, something like this red thong. But _no one_ was supposed to find out. It was her dirty little secret. This was why the clothes and underwear she had bought for that reason alone, never found their way to the Gilbert laundry. She didn't dare do that. No, instead she would hide them in a safe corner of her closet, and then wash them with her own two hands, when she knew that the house would be empty, and no one would get a glimpse of them.

So, Elena didn't hesitate as she jumped forwards, only to once again fail in getting hold of her priced belonging. But if she failed in that, she definitely achieved something else entirely. Her breath hitched in her throat, when she found herself standing in between Damon's parted knees, her hands resting on the insides of his thighs, mere centimetres from his crotch.

"Just a little bit higher, baby," Damon whispered against her face, and much to Elena's surprise, her brain instead of turning off at the close proximity, started working faster than ever before. There was a part of her cursing her for what she was about to do, but the other one, the one that made her tongue dart out, and seductively- or so she hoped- wet her lips, was more dominant. She refrained from smiling when the first signs of distractions appeared on Damon's expression, and the moment she started moving one of her hands, she knew she had won.

Damon couldn't keep his eyes off her cute lips as he felt her fingers massaging the skin of his leg. The Elena he knew would have never acted like that, but he wasn't about to ruin this, and question her sudden change of heart. Hell, even the promise he'd made to himself to keep his distance from her, because he couldn't afford falling in love again wouldn't stop him from pressing his mouth against her own, or running his hands all over those sweet curves of her body.

The situation changed so quickly, that Damon couldn't figure out what the fuck had happened. They were supposed to be grinding against each other by now, why was she leaning against the wall, one hand clutching her stomach, while her entire body shook with laughter? _Was she actually laughing at him? _His own hands balled into fists at his sides, and that was when he put the pieces together. His hand. It was now empty. Her sexy little thong. Was in her own hands. She had more, or less toyed with him. That was a first. If he forgot all about the hard on he was currently sporting, he was in fact proud of her.

"Bravo, Elena, bravo!" Damon said clapping, and Elena glanced at him in an attempt to get a read on his mood. He looked amused, and relatively relaxed. "I admit, you surprised me! I wasn't expecting you to pull a card like that!"

"Is that a compliment from the _great_ Damon Salvatore?" she asked, now her turn to be shocked, as she moved towards her dresser, and put the disturbing piece of clothe back in place.

"It depends. Do _you_ want it to be a compliment?" She rolled her eyes. There was the familiar Damon. Always hiding his true intentions, and feelings behind tricky questions, and witty comebacks.

"I want to talk to you about yesterday," she dove immediately into the main subject, shifting so that they were facing each other.

"About the party?" Damon asked, jumping off the desk, and approaching the window.

"No. About how I treated you after I woke up," she clarified, and he shrugged his shoulders in response.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Damon, are you seriously going to pretend as if I wasn't being a bitch to you?" she cried out, amazing even herself with her blunt confession. She hadn't been planning to say that out loud. Apparently, even Damon was taken aback, since he span around, an eyebrow raised high on his forehead.

"So, you admit you were being a bitch?" he slowly asked, and Elena stuck out her chin defiantly.

"It depends. Do _you_ admit that you were being a jerk?"

"Touché," he mouthed at her, and Elena involuntarily smiled. It was always like this between them. In a matter of a few minutes, he could make her relax, and forget all about her problems.

"So, how are you after everything that happened last night?" Damon asked after a while, as neutrally as he possibly could, and just like that the smile faded from her lips.

"Fine. I mean… you healed me, and Stefan is feeling better. Fine." His eyes widened as her own fixed on a random spot on the floor. Had she been talking to Stefan?

"How do you even know what Stefan is doing?" he asked again, moving closer to her, and she took a step back. That brought him back to his senses. He didn't want to scare her away, not after everything she'd been through. He needed her to trust him, this was the only way he would be able to help her, to protect her.

"We… we talked on the phone, and then I saw him at school, too. He said he's feeling better, he said that the worst part is over."

"Oh, that's what _Saint _Stefan, said? And you of course believe him?"

"Why wouldn't I believe him, Damon?" Elena shot back, matching his angry tone. "Stefan has no reason to lie to me."

"What are you implying, Elena, that _I _have reasons to lie to you?"

"That isn't what I said, okay?" her arms were raised in front of her chest, her palms in view.

"Then enlighten me, Elena, what did you mean?" When she took a deep breath, his emotions cooled down a little bit, too. _How the hell can she do that to me?_

"I cannot understand why Stefan would lie to me at this point," Elena said, her voice barely a whisper, as she inched her way towards the bed, and soundlessly sat down on the mattress. "I admit I haven't given much thought to this scenario, because… well, because frankly I'm scared to even acknowledge it as a feasible one. But anyway, if Stefan wanted to _hurt _me again, wouldn't he have done it, already? It's not like I can defend myself against him."

Damon sighed. It was obvious that this conversation wasn't easy on her. She was afraid of _Stefan_, even if she didn't want to say it.

"Elena, this isn't how things work out in our world. We are vampires, Elena, and vampires _love _the hunt, sometimes and some ones even more than the actual kill." He winced when Elena fidgeted uncomfortably at the last word. "I am not saying that Stefan will try to attack you," _that's a given, _he added in his mind "I'm just saying that you have to be careful around him. You don't know him like I do, you've only ever seen him in control. And the Stefan you met has nothing to do with the Stefan on human blood. Plus, I have a feeling that yours wasn't the last people blood he had."

"What?" Elena's eyes widened so much, he feared they'd pop out of their sockets. "Why would you say that?"

"He's not himself, Elena. He's not the brooding brother I love to tease, he's not _him_."

"Then, who is he?" the picture that Damon had been trying to paint terrified Elena. Could this be true?

"He's someone who only cares about blood. Nothing else." Damon's eyes looked full of honesty, why would he lie, anyway, but still…

"I… I can't accept this, Damon. If he really is like this, then why would he consider your way of living wrong, if he's basically doing the same thing?"

"Oh, no, trust me, Elena, me, and Stefan have nothing in common," he murmured, coming closer, and kneeling in front of her. "Stefan has turned off his switch, he has absolutely no remorse."

"And you have?" she didn't mean to hurt him, she was simply trying to understand how this was working. Weren't they all vampires? Didn't they all have the same urges? How could their reactions be so different? And how could it be that Stefan had the worst, more violent one? No, that made no sense at all.

"This isn't about me, Elena!" Damon said coldly as he stood up, and walked towards the door. Suddenly, he stopped, and looked at her over his shoulder.

"I really hope I'm wrong, Elena, but if I'm not, then you are in great danger. Keep your eyes open, don't be so quick to trust Stefan, or anyone else for that matter. He could be using anyone. Anyone."

"Then, how can I trust you?" _Because I'd never hurt you._

"You can't," he replied, instead. "You can only trust your instincts, Elena."

And with that, he was gone again. Leaving her with more questions than answers. Leaving her more confused than ever before.

"What do my instincts tell me?" Elena wondered aloud in the empty room.

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><p><em>Instincts… <em>

_They are there from the very first moment you enter the world, till your last breath…_

_To a greater, or lesser extent they affect your life…_

_Sometimes, they can help you take advantage of tremendous opportunities… _

_But sometimes… sometimes they can lead you to make terrible choices…_

_Deadly mistakes…_

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><p><strong>This was more, or less a filler chapter. Tiny details that you perhaps didn't notice will play a critical role in the following chapters. Even the plan Elena came up with to get her underwear back from Damon will affect their relationship! <strong>

**I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! Next chapter is the Miss Mystic Falls competition, which was, and still is one of my favourite episodes! The 'fun' will begin shortly! * winks***

**Feel free to tell me your opinion in your reviews!**

**Do follow me on twitter: ts_eirini **

**Until next time, take care! **


	5. Of plans

**Hello, sweethearts! How are you all doing? Enjoying TVD, are we? Oh, how much I cried for Alaric... :(**

**This chapter gave me a particularly hard time. The first half has been ready for over a week, but I kept writing, and rewriting the second one. I have lost count of how many times I've altered each scene, but I can now say I am more than pleased with all of them!**

**When I first started writing this story, I intended to keep the chapters short, around 2.500-3.500. Yeah, well, this one clearly shows how monumentally I have failed. It's an LTLA kind of chapter, over 9.500 words. But I've been told that these chapters are the ones you love the most (yes, Maria, I'm referring to you!) so, here it is!**

**I'll let you read it now, and I'll rant at the end.**

**Ready? Go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

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><p><em>Let your plans be dark, and as impenetratable as night.<em>

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><p>Thoughts relentlessly swirled into Elena's mind as she followed Stefan out of the cafeteria, where they'd been trying for over an hour to practice the art of near touch. The words Carol Lockwood had used to describe it, and the dreamy expression on her face had intrigued Elena. It had sounded like a really intimate, an extremely passionate, yet in a disguised manner way of dancing. She was looking forward to experiencing it, but as soon as the music had started playing, it was clear that her wish wouldn't come true. Stefan had all but laughed at the old-fashioned technique, which come to think about it was ridiculous, since that was the way people used to dance while he was still human. So, Elena had been left with no choice but to put a smile on her lips and follow his lead. They had ended up embarrassing themselves, when Stefan without any warning wrapped his arms around her body, and dipped her to the ground, at that part where the only form of contact they were allowed to have was an eye one.<p>

He was acting different. That, she couldn't deny. Was it strange? Hell, yes. It made her feel unsure of how to move around him. Was it an unwelcome change? Not definitely. This new Stefan was lighter, he didn't hesitate that much to laugh, and have a good time. He seemed… free. And she could get used to this improved version of him.

Somewhere on the back of her head, she still kept Damon's advice to trust her instincts, but she hadn't been able to use it. Damon had a century and a half of life experience; she was only seventeen, she couldn't afford making crucial decisions simply based on a part of herself-her soul, her heart, her whatever gave life to her instincts- she couldn't even understand. This was why she had stayed up all night, examining all of her choices, weighing the pros, and cons, analyzing the situation to the tiniest detail. She kept coming to the same conclusion. Stefan had no reason to be lying at her. If he was actually plotting against her, like Damon had more, or less implied, that would mean she didn't really know the person she'd been in a relationship with over the last several months. Which in return, meant that she was incredibly stupid. And she couldn't accept that. She didn't even believe it was true. Sure, she was no Einstein, but she didn't have the brains of a cow, either. Surely she would be able to tell if he wanted to harm her, wouldn't she?

"Don't forget we're having dinner tomorrow night at my place, okay?" Stefan said, effectively bringing her back to the real world.

"How could I ever forget?" Elena whispered, a warm feeling settling inside her chest. There were still traits of the previous Stefan in this version, like his romanticism. "You have promised me a night I'm never going to forget. I wouldn't miss it for anything!"

Stefan stopped walking, and locked his arms around Elena's form. He was so excited for tomorrow, he felt almost giddy. All the preparations he had made, all the effort he'd put in this… they'd finally pay off.

"I have planned an actual three-course meal for us," he murmured enjoying the satisfied glint that appeared in her eyes.

"You've never had anything like it before. And I'm pretty sure you'll never have a similar one ever again."

She couldn't help laughing out aloud.

"What exactly have you done, Stefan? It sounds like you've gone through so much trouble, and I feel bad."

"No, you shouldn't," he reassured her, shaking his head "it really was my pleasure, and it's going to be a perfect night for me. For both of us, I mean," he added a few moments later, and Elena struggled to maintain the smile on her lips. Because there were also some really disturbing characteristics in this Stefan. Like the way his eyes darkened sometimes, and not in the good lustful-let's go have sex-way. Or the weird feeling she sometimes had that there was a second hidden meaning behind his seemingly innocent and kind words. Hints that made her question her decision, and reconsider Damon's warning. But the times these traits resurfaced were close to minimum, and therefore according to the laws of logic, harmless, coincidental, or simply figments of her imagination.

"Bonnie and Caroline are here," Elena pointed out as she stared at her two friends who chatted away, not having spotted her and Stefan, yet. She was one hundred percent sure that if Bonnie had noticed her, she'd had already fled. It had become a trademark move of hers over the last week, and frankly, Elena was growing tired of it. If Bonnie had a bone to pick up with her, she should just 'man up' and confront her, not avoid her as if she had fleas.

Elena took a deep breath, and three confident steps that brought her right in front of them. Bonnie immediately got into defense mode, her shoulders squared, her facial expression screaming 'my walls are up'. Caroline glanced uneasily at the two girls for a few seconds, and then fell into Elena's embrace.

"Hey, you! I thought we were supposed to have practice together."

"No, uhm… Carol Lockwood wasn't apparently willing to deal with all of us at once, so she split us into groups instead." Caroline nodded in understanding, and Elena turned her attention to Bonnie.

"Hey, Bonnie. How are you? I've been trying to talk to you, but you always seemed to disappear." She knew her tone was accusing and that was by far the worst approach to the stubborn Bonnie, but the words were out before she could control herself.

As expected, Bonnie's eyes turned even more stony as she barked "And couldn't you take a hint?"

Elena coiled back instinctively at her harsh voice.

"Oh, I got the hint all right. I figured that there's something wrong, but I want to know what exactly it is that I have done. If you're going to keep pretending that I don't exist, I'm sure as hell I deserve an explanation."

"Oh, there's Stefan! I hadn't noticed him, and it's been so long since I've talked to him," Caroline said out of the blue, and walked in the boy's direction. She loved her friends, and they usually had a great time together, but their fights were never nice to watch, or listen to. So, she chose the easy way out, giving them space, and privacy to mend things between them, while she would be attempting to discover what was up with Stefan.

"Hi, Stefan!" the blond greeted him, and he barely refrained from rolling his eyes at her never-ending enthusiasm. She was way too happy for his taste, and he was really curious to find out whether she looked so delicious in other moods, too.

"Hello, Caroline! How have you been? Ready for tomorrow?"

"Almost," she replied with a too dramatic sigh "I have no idea how I did it, but the point is that I haven't gotten my dress, yet. Bonnie will help me pick one, later."

"You should get a green dress," Stefan said, and Caroline chuckled in amusement.

"I would never-ever wear a green dress, Stefan. It's the worst color on me!"

"On the contrary, I believe you would look great in a green dress," he went on, and she shrugged him away with a flick of her wrist.

"Of course you believe that, Stefan! You are a guy! Guys don't get stuff like fashion, and matching colors!" It was weird that he was so persistent. Why would Stefan-freaking-Salvatore care about the color of _her dress_?

"Caroline, you are going to get a green dress," Stefan said in a steady voice, walking closer to her. He was starting to lose his patience, and he wasn't going to allow a petty human like herself ruin his day.

"Hm," Caroline pretended that she was actually contemplating her answer. In reality she was wondering when Stefan had become so controlling, and if he was acting like this around Elena, too. "No," she eventually replied, spanning around with the intention of walking back to the girls. Suddenly, the idea of listening to them throwing accusations back and forth sounded very very appealing. However, when Stefan's strong hand grabbed her forearm, she was forced to not only stop dead on her tracks, but also turn around once again to face him.

"Ouch, Stefan, you're hurting me. Let go," she said, trying to keep her anger at bay. He had no right to treat her like that, he had no right to touch her.

It turned out she was extremely hot when she was all riled up. Which meant that he only needed to see her face wearing one more emotion before he was done with her.

"You are going to get a green dress," Stefan said in a calming tone, smiling slightly the moment Caroline looked into his eyes, immediately succumbing to his compulsion. No wonder Damon had picker her up of all the girls in Mystic Falls. Her mind felt like pudding into his hands. He could do whatever he wanted with it. And god, how he enjoyed the idea. "You are going to buy a long green strapless dress."

"I am going to buy a long green strapless dress," she repeated flatly.

A few meters away, Elena impatiently tapped her foot on the cement, as she regarded Bonnie with an expectant look. She wasn't going to give her the silent treatment, was she? She_ had _to be more mature than that.

"It's insane that you actually have the audacity to confront me about this, Elena," she muttered under her breath, causing Elena to throw her arms in the air, a gesture of utter exasperation, undoubtedly.

"What _this_, Bonnie? What have I done? Just tell me! If you don't, then, how am I supposed to fix it?"

"There's nothing you can do to fix this, Elena," she shot back "grams is dead and there's no way to bring her back. All because she decided to meddle with the tomb thing, which was only really a concern of the Salvatore brothers'. If you weren't so close to them, they wouldn't have found out about us being witches, they would have made someone else to help them, and my grandma would be alive."

Elena's expression immediately softened. She could relate with her, she knew how hard it was losing a family member.

"Bonnie, I am so very sorry. I mean it. If I had known how things would turn out, I wouldn't have let either of you to try to open that tomb, I am so sorry."

"She's still dead," Bonnie replied looking away.

"Tell me, what can I do to fix this, to fix us?" Elena all but begged, reaching out to grab Bonnie's hands, but she quickly took a step back to keep her from touching her.

"There's nothing you can do. It is what it is. I blame them, Elena, and I will never forgive them. But the same thing goes for you, too. There's no turning back for us."

She gave a last long stare at Elena, not in the slightest affected by the broken expression on her face, and then approached Caroline and Stefan.

"Let's go, Caroline," she called as she walked past them, not wanting to spend a moment longer than necessary in Stefan's presence.

"You're not going to say hi to me, Bonnie?" he asked teasingly, and she paused to glare at him over her shoulder.

"Shut up, Stefan. I despise you enough, already, don't make your position worse." A cold shiver ran down her spine when he chuckled darkly, low enough that it was only audible to the two of them.

"I am the last person you should be threatening at this point, Bonnie."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked suspiciously, and he shrugged his shoulders in indifference.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see." His tone was dark and ominous, and she didn't like it one bit.

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><p>Bonnie sighed in relief as she finally parked her car in front of her house. Caroline was a good friend, and without even realizing it she always managed to take your mind off your problems. But shopping with Caroline had always been a little more than she could handle. She hastily moved to the trunk to gather the few things she had purchased, and after double-checking that the alarm on her car was activated, she walked to the front door.<p>

"Dad, I'm home!" she announced, dropping the bags on the floor, and taking off her coat. "Have you prepared dinner? Because I was thinking about ordering Chinese! Weird," she said quietly, when she found the kitchen empty. That's where she would usually find him at that time of the day, preparing a perfect dinner for the two of them. "Oh, there you are!" she added when she walked into the living room, and found her dad sitting on the edge of an armchair. But Maurice Bennett was strangely quiet, his face buried in his palms. "Dad?" Bonnie asked in a mixture of surprise, and worry. "Dad, what is it, what happened?" she questioned more urgently, when he lifted his head and she took a glimpse of his unusually pale complexion, and horror-stricken eyes. He opened his mouth to respond, but the only sound that escaped his throat was a loud yelp, as his gaze focused on something behind her.

Bonnie gasped as a gust of wind rushed over the side of her face, and the next thing she knew, Stefan Salvatore was standing behind her dad, holding him in what seemed like a really painful headlock.

"Hello, Bonnie!" he greeted her calmly "me, and your father have been waiting for you. But you were taking too long, and we were bored, weren't we, Maurice? So, we had to find something to entertain ourselves," he turned him to the side, so that his neck was visible. A huge mark was there, and Bonnie wondered how she had not noticed the trail of dark red blood soaking the neck of his shirt.

"I am going to kill you," she said darkly taking a step in their direction, but she froze when Stefan applied more pressure on his hold, and her father chocked in discomfort.

"Now, now, Bonnie. Let's not be impulsive. For starters, you wouldn't know _how_ to kill me. You are still an amateur, and I'm a vampire, not a fragile little human. Now your dad, on the other hand…" she inhaled deeply through her nose as she struggled to remain calm. This was a dangerous situation, and she had to make sure they would both walk out of it alive. "Your dad, Bonnie, is _so_ vulnerable. It would take no more than a contraction of my arm muscles, and his neck would be broken. You do understand how easily I can kill him, don't you, Bonnie?"

"What do you want?" she snarled, not willing to keep playing his fright game anymore.

"There it is!" Stefan exclaimed "This is why I like you the most, Bonnie. Because you're quick to catch things like that. You are the only one that could ever get me. Doesn't it give you shivers? The realization that we have so much in common?"

"I am nothing like you," she all but growled, her patience running thin. She didn't have time for his incoherent vampire ranting. All she cared about was taking her father as far away from his claws as possible.

Stefan smiled as he took in her wild eyes. He had to admit that he had done this on purpose. He couldn't help it. Emotions had always fascinated him. And driving women crazy made their hearts beat faster, the blood bump through their veins harder. And Bonnie being a witch, made her blood exotic, precious, mouthwatering. It made his fangs feel heavy inside his gums. He wanted to have a taste of that delicious substance, and he'd try to get it.

"Okay, then, since you're so desperate to get down to business, let's get this over with," Stefan continued "I need you to do something for me. If you do it, I will not hurt you father. But if you even _think_ about fooling me, or breathing a single word to anyone about our little deal, I promise you will never get to take your father's screams out of your head."

She couldn't believe that she had found herself in the same place again. She didn't want to help him with anything, but she had no other choice.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to cast a spell on the boarding house."

"What kind of spell?"

"One that would prevent everyone except for me going out, and no vampires except for me entering."

"Why would you want me to do that?" she asked crossing her arms in front of her chest, when his eyes flashed with anger.

"That is none of your concern," he growled in response. "All you need to do is put that spell into effect."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Stefan, but I don't know how to do this. Like _you_ pointed out, I'm new at this. My knowledge is minimal. And since you got my grandma killed, there's no one I can ask for help."

"Well, then, I'm sorry, too, Bonnie. But you just signed your father's death sentence."

"No!" Bonnie screamed, when his hands moved to the sides of her petrified dad's face. Stefan raised an eyebrow questioningly at her, and she sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine. I will do whatever you want me to do. I will search the grimoire for your spell, just don't hurt him."

"Bonnie, you can't trust him," Maurice talked for the first time, his voice sounding hoarse "he's going to hurt me anyway, don't give him what he wants." She blinked to keep back the tears that formed in her eyes. Her mother had left them when she was less than five years old, she barely had any recollection of her. Now that her grams had passed away, her father was the only family she had left. She couldn't lose him. She hated that she had to help Stefan, especially when he seemed to be so out of control. So far, she had only thought Damon to be violent, and cruel. The Stefan she thought she knew, the Stefan that had taken her out of the tomb, and brought her back home, that Stefan would never blackmail her like this. And God only knew what were the reasons he needed such a spell. She had asked him, yes, but if she wanted to be honest with herself, she was too afraid to find out.

"Do I have your word that if I do as you ask me to, you won't harm him?"

"Bonnie, no…" Maurice whimpered, but they both ignored him.

"Yes, Bonnie," Stefan replied, inwardly applauding himself for manipulating her so effortlessly, for playing his part so damn well. Of course he wouldn't keep 'his word'. Maurice Bennett would be the perfect first course for Monday, the main one obviously being his ravishing daughter.

"Okay, since we have come to an agreement…" Stefan trailed, and started walking towards the door, dragging the human along.

"Wait, what are you doing? Where are you taking him?" Bonnie cried out, reaching out for her father's hand. He instantly clenched his fingers around hers, giving them a soft squeeze.

"Oh, Bonnie, come on. Don't ruin it now. I thought you were good at this. Isn't it obvious that I need to have leverage to ensure your co-operation? And who would be best as a leverage, if not your father?" She glared at him, before leaning closer to her father.

"It's going to be okay, daddy. I'm going to keep you safe."

"You are making a mistake, Bon."

"Okay, let's not make this more emotional than necessary," Stefan intervened, removing Maurice from her grasp "Bonnie, I need you to be at my place tomorrow at four. You have about twenty hours to figure out the spell. Don't screw this up."

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><p>Elena stared thoughtfully at the now dark screen of her mobile phone. When she had seen it flashing with Stefan's number, she thought that he would want to spend time talking to her, or that he wanted yet<em> again<em> to remind her of their dinner, and her staying over at his place for the night. She had never expected that he would cancel their meeting at the Mayor's manor for the Miss Mystic Fall's competition. They had agreed that he would be her escort. They had gone to the practice together. But they hadn't taken into account that today Stefan would be insecure about his self-control. It wasn't that he felt like attacking random people, but he had a feeling that being around so many humans for so long would be pushing it too far. The plans for their night together were still in effect, but Elena had to find a new escort within the next two hours.

Who was she supposed to ask? Initially, Matt was to escort Caroline, but they had had a serious fight, and she opted going with a random Lockwood who was a close friend of her family. Bringing Matt would definitely be too weird. So, Elena could either totally embarrass herself by dancing a romantic dance with her brother-if he ever agreed- or suck it up, and ask Damon. Honestly, there wasn't a matter of choice. It was pretty simple. She had to do everything within her power to persuade him to save her from the horror of appearing escort-less in front of the entire town of Mystic Falls.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure, Ms. Gilbert?" Damon's masculine voice said in a teasing voice, and Elena internally groaned at her bad luck. He was in a particularly good mood, which dramatically increased the chances of him making this extremely difficult for her.

"Hi, Damon. How are you?"

"Anxious to find out the reason for you talking to me after so many days. So, purge, sweet Elena. What is it that you want from me?"

"Why do you think I want something? Can't I just call you to see what you're doing?"

"Well maybe there is a tiny possibility of about 0.00000001% that is the reason behind your unexpected call. But do you really _not_ want to ask for a favor?"

"Are you aware that today is the Miss Mystic Falls competition?" she asked slowly, causing Damon to chuckle. He had been right, after all.

"Beautiful young women in evening dresses… it sure sounds like my thing, doesn't it Elena?" he drawled, raising his head to stare at her form. She was leaning against the window of her room, oblivious to the fact that he was standing just at the edge of the forest. He could make out even the slightest detail of her facial expression, but her human eyesight prevented her from spotting him.

"Well, one of these beautiful young in evening dresses women happens to be in desperate need of an escort, due to a last minute change." Elena winced, as if admitting this caused her physical pain, and Damon couldn't help but smirk at her discomfort.

"Are you actually asking me on a date, Ms. Gilbert?" he drawled, all but grinning when she stiffened, and blood rushed up to her cheeks, giving them a warm red glow.

"No, I'm actually asking you on a dance," she clarified.

"And what do I get in return? Give me a reason why I should be your escort."

Elena's jaw dropped as her heart started beating violently inside her chest. She hadn't been prepared for this option, and now she was terrified. Why would Damon even want to help her out? Lately, all that she'd ever done was scream at him, and all that she'd ever been was a burden. And what could she offer him, anyway? This was Damon Salvatore. Everyone knew that the only things he was interested in had-one way or the other- something to do with physical contact. And that was a definite _no. _Right?

Damon frowned at the prolonged silence that reached his ears. He hadn't meant to intimidate her, just keep the conversation light. Then again, he couldn't blame her for taking his question seriously. Even he couldn't believe that he was about to commit one more selfless action. He was barely able to recognize his own self, how could Elena Gilbert, who knew him for less than five months, be able to detect his playful mood?

How was he supposed to fix this? How could he make her understand him, really get to know him?

"Elena, I was only kidding. There is no way in hell I would ever let you walk down the stairs to your escort's vacant spot. Just tell me if I should wear anything special, and what time I should come pick you up."

Elena drew her eyebrows together at Damon's voice. He sounded hurt, disappointed.

"I trust you to know how to bring a formal attire together, Damon, and as of the time, you can pick me up at four."

"Okay," he murmured in response, and he was about to end the call when he heard her urgently calling his name. His head shot up in alarm, and he exhaled loudly when he realized that she was perfectly safe, sitting on the window-seat, her knees drawn close to her body.

"Yes?" he replied bringing the device back in place, and Elena closed her eyes as she repeated in her mind the few words she'd been preparing for days now.

"Thank you," she whispered, knowing that he'd able to make out the faint sound.

Damon was surprised at the satisfied sensation that went through his veins. This was it. They were taking baby-steps. Hell, they'd been taking baby-steps since the first time she walked into the Boarding house. But most of the times these steps were awkward, unsure, leading them backwards, to the day when he appeared to the quiet cemetery with the intention to at least scare the shit out of her. But this, now, this was something else entirely. This was Elena finally seeing something good in his behavior, this was Damon finally being the man that he might at some point in the future deserve her.

"You're welcome," he uttered back, no hint of sarcasm, of snide, of cockiness in his voice. Only honesty, relief, and gratitude.

"Not just for this, Damon, for everything," she added quietly, hoping that he would-as always- manage to read behind her words, figure out the message, the message that she _had_ to keep hidden, because what it would mean having it revealed? She was thanking him for being there for her, every time she needed him, every time his brother, her boyfriend failed to fulfill his role. She couldn't say this out loud, she would be admitting her disappointed feelings at Stefan. And she was supposed to be patient, and supportive of him. But she couldn't help the way she felt. "I don't know what I would do if you weren't here."

"You won't have to find out," he said softly, shoving the cell phone into the pocket of his jacket.

_What the hell was this?_ What was he getting himself into? This wasn't a fairytale, this was real life. Real life who is a major bitch and screws up with everyone's emotions. Elena wasn't a girl he could just charm and seduce. He didn't even want her to be that girl. He wanted her to be something more, he wanted her to be the woman that would make him believe in love again. She wasn't simply his brother's girlfriend. Well, she was, but in an alternate reality that wouldn't be an issue. What kept his little-or not so little- dream from coming true, was Elena's decision to all but blindly trust Stefan, instead of him, and the arguments he had given her.

He didn't want to get his hopes up in vain, but hell, how could he _not_ be excited even at the slightest chance that their relationship was growing, their bond was strengthening? There was a possibility that Elena was simply scared to trust him- after all, he had given her every reason to in the past- and that that was why she had decided to go back to Stefan. Could he be making the wrong choice by letting hope into his heart? Probably. Did he regret it? No.

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><p>"Caroline?" Elena whispered in surprise, and the blonde turned around so quickly that her perfectly stylized hair twirled around her.<p>

"Hey, Elena!" she had the widest and most contagious grin ever on her face.

"What happened to you?" Elena asked, letting her eyes trail over her friend's dress "I clearly remember you going on and on about how you were going to _definitely _get a purple dress."

"I had to get a green dress," Caroline replied slowly, the blank look in her eyes immediately catching Elena's attention.

"What do you mean you _had_ to, Caroline?"

"I look good in this green dress," she sounded robotic, nothing like Caroline at all. She wasn't even making sense.

"But you've always _hated_ wearing green clothes. You say it's the worst color on you," she pointed out.

"I look good in this green dress," she calmly restated. It was as if it wasn't her talking, but rather a tape on repeat. Before Elena had the chance to ask her anything else, though, Carol Lockwood appeared a few meters from them, reckoning Caroline to join her.

Elena gazed into the now empty space that Caroline was occupying mere moments ago. She couldn't figure out what could have possibly changed her friend's opinion on such a serious (for her) issue as colors matching her skin tone. She could still remember the day, even if it had been more than ten years go, when Caroline firmly planted her small feet on the wooden floor of her bedroom, and declared that she would never, _ever_ again wear green clothes. She had kept her vow up until today. What had happened?

"Elena!" the Mayor's wife called, and Elena forced a polite smile on her lips. Taking a deep breath, she started descending the stairs, her thoughts this time drifting to Stefan. She wondered how he was feeling, how he was spending his day. He was supposed to be here, with her, and even though she struggled to be sympathetic, she couldn't find it in her to not be a little angry at him. This competition had been important for the mother, and Elena had saved it into her mind as some sort of last wish. Stefan had, unintentionally yes, but did it really make a difference?, risked her participation. If Damon hadn't stepped in once again to help her, she wouldn't have been able to keep her promise to her mom.

All thoughts escaped Elena, as the staircase took a sudden turn, and she was finally able to spot Damon at the foot of the stairs. He was dressed in an expensive looking black suit-not that she had been expecting anything less from him- white shirt, and dark blue tie. He looked absolutely handsome, she admitted to herself, as a tiny inner voice scolded her for her inappropriate line of thinking. But she couldn't help it. He was watching her with eyes wide open, lips slightly parted, an awed expression on his face. How could he do that? How could he make her feel like the only person on the entire globe that mattered?

He couldn't resist smiling softly when she delicately placed her hand on top of his. He could tell that she could feel the tiny tingles that flew from their touching skins to their entire bodies, too, because her breathing was no longer regular, and he knew she wasn't a victim of 'stage fright'. She refused to even glance his way as they walked down the hall, and he gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, desperate for her attention. Yes, _the_ Damon Salvatore was acting like a sissy, and he knew it. Her heart started beating even harder against her ribs, but after a few seconds of hesitancy, Elena's index finger caressed ever so softly the tips of his own fingers. A seemingly insignificant, and normally innocent gesture, but God if it didn't make his heart (and another part of his anatomy) swell with pride (and need). And as they finally passed the threshold, causing all eyes to zoom into their forms, and everyone to start whispering about the gorgeous couple, he couldn't help but think that this was how it would always feel if they were to be together.

It didn't take long for the relatively small orchestra to start playing, and Elena raised her arm, palm facing Damon, inches away from his own. She shivered as she felt the air between their hands heating up, filling with energy. The sensation spread to the whole space between their bodies, as they slowly circled each other.

"You look gorgeous, if it isn't obvious," Damon whispered, and Elena found herself smiling with delight at his compliment.

"Thank you."

She could see now. She understood. As she stared into his eyes, their painfully close hands in her peripheral vision, she figured what the appeal of this dance was. For the first time, she could sense the intimacy Carol Lockwood would have never been able to fully describe. But most of all, she could feel _them_. She could feel the way their bodies reacted to each other, she could almost hear the sizzling of the air surrounding them. Her breaths coming out in pants, she found herself unable to break the eye-contact they had established. She couldn't look away, she didn't want to. His eyes were so warm, so open.

Everything was intensifying with each moment that went by, and she gasped audibly, when they took a step closer, their hands instinctively falling onto their assigned positions. She relaxed in his embrace, allowing him to lead her body whichever direction he desired.

There were probably no words to depict his emotional state. It felt beyond good touching her bare back, hell, it felt like tasting a piece of heaven. He tightened his grip on her, smiling when she momentarily closed her eyes. She was affected by him, there was no denying it. For starters, he could smell her, and it took all of his self-control to act like the gentleman he was raised to be, instead of dragging her out of there, and teaching her all about sexual intercourse. But he could also see it in her eyes. They were darker now, glowing with lust. She was killing him. Slowly, painfully, but oh, so deliciously.

Even when the musicians played the last note, and she stepped back from his grasp, she could still feel him. It was like after dancing together, they had formed some sort of connection that made her fully aware of his presence, of his every move, of his every breath.

Everything she had tried to push away, everything she had tried to deny, everything she had tried to forget… came crushing down on her.

It was like a bulb had lit up. Her eyes widened, and Damon wondered what thoughts were dancing around her clever head.

* * *

><p>"Jenna!" Elena called, placing a kiss on her aunt's cheek.<p>

"Hey, beautiful. Where have you been?"

"Just walking around, talking to everyone," she replied casually "have you by any chance seen Jeremy? It's been hours since I last saw him."

"That is weird," Jenna mumbled glancing around the empty room "his friend asked me the same thing a few minutes ago. Maybe he just got tired and went home."

"Without telling anyone?" Elena asked in exasperation. There was that nagging feeling on the bottom of her stomach…

"Hey, Elena," Jenna whispered breaking her train of thoughts "Jeremy is fine, okay? For one day stop worrying about everybody else, and focus on yourself."

"Hi, girls!" Caroline greeted them.

"Hi back to you," Jenna replied eyeing the blonde. "And congratulations for you new title!"

"Thank you!"

"I'll go chat with some boring people of my age, and leave you two alone," she added, walking away, and Caroline immediately fixed her gaze on Elena.

"You, Ms. Gilbert, have some serious explaining to do," she muttered under her breath, threateningly pointing her finger at her, and grabbing her by the arm, she lead her in a quiet corner of the room.

"What explaining?" Elena asked in the calmest voice she could master. Did everyone know about her sinful emotions? How?

"Where is your boyfriend, Stefan, Elena? Last time I checked, you were both so happy for him being your escort. And today I see you walking out of the manor with Damon freaking Salvatore by your side!"

"Stefan is sick. Damon is just covering for him. There's nothing more to say."

"Oh, so you are not like… switching Salvatores, are you?" she asked bluntly, making Elena choke on her champagne.

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Hm, that's interesting. Because I was watching you from the corner of my eye, and let me tell you, you two totally took 'flirt with your eyes' to the next level, namely 'have an orgasm with your eyes'!"

"Caroline!" Elena shrieked out mortified, dragging the blonde closer to the wall, even farther away from the other guests. "You can't walk around saying things like that!"

"Honey, you brought this on yourself. Well, you both did. You should have seen you dancing. It was like you were having sex with telepathy. Which would be totally cool. Do you think this will be possible in the near future?"

Elena rolled her eyes. Caroline always had the habit of jumping form one topic to the other without warning.

"On a more serious note, though, Elena, you can't just go around having sex with your boyfriend's brother."

"I haven't had sex with him!" Elena exclaimed in a whisper. If the wrong person heard them…

"You were thinking about it! All the same!"

"I wasn't doing that, either," she growled, because she really hadn't been thinking about sex. Her emotions, her thoughts had been mostly innocent, pure. _And that's supposed to make it okay?_ Her inner voice screamed at her.

"At least admit that you are attracted to him, sweetheart. It's really frustrating playing dumb, when we can all see it _so_ clearly."

"No," she refused stubbornly, and Caroline raised her eyebrow.

"No you are not attracted to him, or no you just won't admit it?"

"I can't, Caroline!" she said a little louder than she had intended. "What would that say about me?"

Caroline sighed, and rested her hand on Elena's shoulder. She was one of the brightest persons she had ever known, but sometimes she paid too much attention on everyone else's opinion. And that held her back, stopped her from doing what she _really_ wanted.

"It would say that you're seventeen years old, Elena. And every teenager has at least at one point been attracted to more than one people at the same time. It doesn't mean you're sick, or that we have to burn you at the stake, or something."

"Caroline, that was for the witches."

"Who cares about that? All that matters is that you need to figure out who it is you really need in your life. But as long as you're officially with Stefan, you can't go around flirting with Damon, Elena. That's just wrong."

* * *

><p>Caroline's words echoed in Elena's head as she walked to the backyard. It was chilly outside, and she wished she had brought her coat with her. But she wasn't about to go back inside anytime soon. So far, her mission 'avoid Damon at all costs' had been going extremely well. She wasn't stupid, she knew that if he really wanted to find her, he could simply turn his super vampire powers on, and easily sniff her out. But the entire evening he had respected her decision to keep her distance.<p>

"At least until now," she whispered to herself as he appeared at the beginning of the path.

"You are avoiding me," he said matter-of-factly, and Elena chuckled darkly.

"Yeah, it's the new trend."

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, his brows drawn together in confusion.

"I was referring to the fact that Bonnie al-… you know what? It doesn't even matter," she abruptly stood up from the bench, and made a move to walk past him, but no, he wasn't about to let her go away that easily.

"We need to talk." His fingers wrapped around her wrist, holding her in place.

"Talk? Talk about what, Damon?" she asked turning her face to the side to look at him. She regretted it instantly. There was practically no space separating them.

"About what happened today… when we danced."

"You know what happened today, Damon? I asked for your help, you were kind enough to escort me, I owe you, end of story."

"Do you think I am a fool?" he snapped at her, and she flinched. He sensed her trying to pull back from him, but he didn't feel like giving up, yet. "There is something going on between the two of us, and you know it, Elena! And you're lying to me, and you're lying to Stefan, but most of all you're lying to yourself."

Elena's eyes widened with shock when he shifted so that he was standing in front of her, still closer than she felt comfortable.

"I can prove it," his face slowly inched towards hers, and before her brain had the time to command her muscles to move, his lips were on hers, his tongue fighting to find a way inside her mouth. She moaned her dissatisfaction, she couldn't do this. Regardless of how easy, and tempting it was, she couldn't give in to him. It wasn't right.

"No, Damon, listen to me!" she whispered urgently, when she managed to push him off her "Today, I was just trying to pull of the dance in the correct way. If my behavior confused you, I'm sorry, but I was just playing my part. I care about you, just like you do, but… I can't do this to Stefan. Especially not right now." She felt dirty the moment the words were out of her lips. And for the second time that day, she prayed, prayed with everything she had that Damon would be able to read her eyes, to understand not what she had said, but more importantly what she _hadn't_ said.

She had always been attracted to him, but this was probably the worst time to act on those feelings. Stefan needed her, and he needed her because of something that _she_ had done. She was responsible for bringing him in contact with human blood again; she couldn't just abandon him and run away with his brother.

By the expression on Damon's face, her plan wasn't successful.

"Then, what the hell are you doing, Elena? Feeling me up and pretending you want to kiss me, stroking my hand… What the hell is this?"

"Damon, I…" he didn't let her talk.

"What, Elena? You can feel this thing between us, I know you do. But regardless, you're going back to Saint Stefan?" he drawled bitterly, his glare bringing tears to her eyes.

"This is what I _have _to do, Damon."

"Because he's the love of your life?" he staggered as he put some distance between them, and she shook her head.

"Because he needs me."

"Oh, what a brilliant reason to be in a relationship, Elena."

"What do _you_ know about relationships?"

"Nothing!" he calmly replied raising his arms "and from the looks of it, I'm _never_ going to learn."

Elena watched at his retreating back for several long moments, cursing herself for causing him so much pain. But Caroline had told her to figure a solution, and this was the only one she could come up with. Right now, Stefan was too vulnerable. She had to support him. After he got better, and if things between them remained strained-which she thought they would- she would end their relationship. And if Damon was still willing, after the way she'd treated him… then they'd give it a try.

* * *

><p>Damon gulped down another glass of bourbon, and closed his eyes. He didn't know how much longer he could take this. He was hurt. His dead heart was fucking bleeding, all because of <em>her.<em> Because of her, and her blindness, and her cruelty. How dared she tell him that she cared about him the same way he cared about her? Elena Gilbert was a woman loved by pretty much everyone, she wasn't broken like himself. She was the only person in many decades that had made him feel _worthy_. How could she know that feeling?

His nostrils flared as he sensed her approaching, and sure enough less than a minute later she was sitting next to him on the bar, disdainfully staring at the several empty glasses in front of him.

"I asked Jenna to give me a ride," she whispered, and he shrugged.

"Going to bed so early?"

"I… I am actually going to spend the night with Stefan."

His head snapped around so quickly that it actually hurt.

"You are kidding me, right? He tells you that he doesn't feel well, and you're still going to lock up in his bedroom with him?" He felt like pulling his hair. Or her hair.

"He said that… wait, how do you even know about this?" Elena mumbled, raising her eyebrow in confusion. She definitely hadn't told him.

"How do I know?" he growled, hopping off the stool, and towering above her. "I know, Elena, because since the night that Stefan attacked you, I've spent almost every minute of every day looking out for you." His eyes glazed over, and she could tell that he was already slightly drunk. But it was obvious that he wasn't lying, he had really gotten into so much trouble to ensure her safety. "I was there, Elena, when you went to bed, when you woke up screaming 'please, don't hurt me, Stefan,' when you showered, when you ate, when you talked on the phone. I was _always_ there. But do you have any idea where Stefan was? Do you have any idea what he might have planed for tonight, since he knows that it'll be only the two of you? You don't! But you don't even care! You _trust_ him! Even though he has given you reasons not to! And don't tell me you owe him to help him. Stefan is a big boy. He got himself into this mess. If he had spent the last century and a half trying to control his bloodlust instead of ignoring it, he would have no issues with human blood by now. You're not obliged to help him. And I'm pretty sure right now, that's the only reason you're going back to him. You're making a mistake, Elena. You're too kind, too naïve for your own good. But this time… I'm sorry, but I won't be there to look out for you. Because you obviously don't want me to."

"Damon," Elena started saying… she wanted to tell him. She wanted to explain everything, because she couldn't stand the idea of him being so hurt because of _her, _anymore.

"Don't," he interrupted her tiredly. "Just go to your precious boyfriend, and I'll make sure to avoid the Boarding House for the weekend. Give you all the alone time you two need."

* * *

><p>Elena sighed, causing Jenna to glance at her thoughtfully.<p>

"You really don't seem up for a romantic weekend, Elena," she murmured.

"I am… I am tired. That's all."

"If you say so," Jenna replied, clearly unconvinced. She had observed her niece's interaction with Damon Salvatore today, and if she wanted to be honest with herself, the chemistry she had sensed between these two was nowhere to be found in her relationship with his younger brother. It was obvious that Elena was confused about her feelings, but she didn't want to nudge her in either direction. Elena had to figure this out on her own.

"Just make sure you don't come back home with fever, or something. You seem to be stressed enough as it is, being sick is the last thing you need."

"I'll be careful, Jenna." Elena unbuckled her seatbelt, picked up her bag of clothes, and exited the car.

She waited until the vehicle was out of view, before turning around and facing the intimidatingly enormous house. She frowned up to the sky, which was cast with dark clouds, and closed her eyes against the cold wind that hit her face with almost unbearable force.

After several deep breaths, she nodded reassuringly to herself, and started walking towards the front porch. Stefan was already opening the door when she reached it, and he smiled lovingly at her.

"I was wondering what took you so long," he murmured, taking another step, and wrapped his arms around her. It would never seize to amaze Elena how quickly she moved from excitedly shivering in his presence, to being completely unaffected by him. She half-heartedly hugged him back, hoping that he wouldn't question her initial hesitation.

Well, Stefan did notice it, but it didn't really bother him. Honestly, he didn't even know why he was still keeping up the charade. Probably to make this even more dramatic.

"You're freezing, let's get you inside." He closed the door with his foot, as he helped her off her coat.

Elena stared a moment too long on the wooden surface blocking the rest of the world. She had never been claustrophobic, but suddenly she felt trapped. It was like a warning bell had gone off in her mind, but she couldn't put her finger on what was dangerous about the situation. Stefan seemed one hundred percent like himself, so perhaps she was imagining things. After everything she'd been through, who could blame her?

"Come on, I want this to be a surprise," Stefan said breaking her train of thoughts, and gently cupped her eyes with his palms. Elena inhaled sharply at the sudden darkness that swallowed her entirely. She didn't feel comfortable with one of her most basic senses cut out.

"Is this necessary?" she asked in a small voice, and Stefan rolled his eyes. Couldn't she just do what he wanted her to without commenting everything?

"Watch your step," he murmured, and Elena carefully descended the two steps. She felt him rotating her body, so that she was facing the left side of the spacious living room.

"Elena, let me introduce you to our first course." _Introduce? Exactly what are we eating? _ Elena thought to herself, but opted to remain silent this time. She honestly didn't want to test the extent of his patience tonight.

Stefan removed his hands from her face, and allowed her a few moments to adjust to the light, before continuing.

"Matt Donovan, horrible soccer player, childhood best-friend, over-protective ex-boyfriend." Elena froze as she took in the sight in front of her. Matt's unconscious body was kept upright with heavy chains that were hanging from the ceiling, and were tightly wrapped around his wrists. The metal had dug into his skin, causing long trails of blood to escape and soak the sleeves of his shirt. She felt like she couldn't breathe, as if she was in a nightmare, unable to wake up. This was sick. She couldn't understand the reason why Stefan, her boyfriend Stefan, would have abducted and chained up Matt. He had never tried to harm him. And even if he had, this wasn't the proper way to sort out their differences. What was he planning to do to him?

Stefan closed his eyes as the aroma of Elena's filled with fear blood rushed into his nostrils. She smelled divine, but he knew she would smell even more exquisite, when she would have just the right amount of despair and sorrow in her system.

"What is this?" she eventually asked in a shaky voice, unsure of whether she really wanted to hear the answer.

"Tsts," Stefan scolded her "haven't you been paying attention at all, Elena? I told you, this is our first course. And this," his fingers landed on her arms again, turning her another 90 degrees "is our main course."

"Hey, 'Lena," a very exhausted looking Caroline whispered, attempting to smile, even though it came out more like a wince.

"Care," Elena muttered under her breath, tears gathering in her eyes as she inspected her friend's appearance. She was still wearing her green dress, but now a great part of it was covered in blood. Her hair was all over the place, and black rivers of mascara had dried up on her cheeks.

She fiercely shook her head from side to side, refusing to believe that this was really happening. That she had been such a big fool. That Stefan had deceived her. That she had fallen in his trap, and dragged two of her friends along with her.

"You are a monster," she growled, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"I am a _vampire_, Elena. What did you expect from me?"

"I was expecting the man I fell in love with! The man that cared about me, protected me, and those I loved." Stefan shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"That man was a lie. You were stupid for believing he ever existed. I am a _predator_, and this," he motioned around the room with a triumphant grin on his lips "this is the most epic plan anyone has ever come up with. I mean… look at this masterpiece I created!"

Elena's eyes widened as her head whipped around in the direction he was pointing at, only to find herself gazing at Jeremy. Or at least a version of Jeremy. He was hanging like the rest of them, but Jeremy's white shirt was ripped open, and his chest was covered with bloody marks, too many for her to count, as if a knife had repeatedly been dragged over his skin.

"Oh, my God, Jeremy!" she shrieked out, whatever was holding her together vanishing into thin air, her wild emotions finally coming to the surface.

She sprung forward as fast as she could, one hand touching his face and lightly slapping him to bring him around, the other one gently running over his wounded flesh in a feeble attempt to access his injuries.

"I don't think he's going to wake up any time soon," Stefan stated from across the room, his posture relaxed, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

"Why are you doing this? What the hell do you want?" Elena cried out, hot trails of tears now falling down her cheeks and wetting her curls.

"Just to have a little fun, in order to celebrate my glorious come-back to the vampire world."

"You can have your fun! With _me_! But let them go, they don't deserve this! Please, I'm begging you. I'll do whatever you want me to, but please, please, don't hurt them."

"It's not a matter of who deserves this, Elena. I don't care about that. You are humans, which by definition makes you my playthings. I can do with you _whatever_ pleases me. And sweetheart, if you feel like this is the end..." he blurred to her, his fingers ghosting over her skin, and she took a step back to avoid his touch "remember that it's just the beginning."

Elena stared into the green eyes that were soon surrounded by red, and into the black veins that popped around them, and she understood.

This wasn't Stefan anymore. This was the creature Damon had warned her about. It hadn't been a figment of his imagination, something meant to drive her away from his brother. He was real, so damn real.

She had been a fool, for not taking Damon's advice, for trusting her head instead of her instincts.

She had trusted the man who would be her killer. She had hurt the man who wanted to be her savior.

She would never be able to make it right, she would never be able to apologize, to explain, to redeem herself.

As she glanced around the room, her vision blurry, but not enough to hide the harsh image of her tortured loved-ones, she knew that none of them was going to make it out of that house alive.

She deserved this, she deserved to die. After making choices so poor, after taking paths so dangerous.

But Matt, Caroline, Jeremy… this wasn't their fate. They weren't supposed to go through this.

It was because of her that they would suffer in the hands of Stefan Salvatore.

Their blood was on her hands.

And that would hunt her forever.

**So, uhm… let me start by saying that dark Stefan isn't something I have experience on. I'm hoping I'm doing a good job with him, anyway. What do you think? We didn't get to see him in action in this chapter, but I promise you're going to watch him in all of his terrifying glory in the next one.**

**I'm pretty sure you were confused at Elena's emotional state, and frustrated by her behavior towards Damon. To be honest, that was my intention. I tried to describe (as possible as that is) what a big mess her feelings are right now. Trust me, when you are stuck between two guys, making a decision isn't an easy feat. If they are friends, or even worse brothers, the situation becomes even more tricky. In the end, Elena realized what a grave mistake she made, and how unfair she was towards Damon. Will she get the chance to fix things between them? **

**I think I've given you enough clues to realize what exactly Stefan's plan was. If you still have questions, fear not; all the answers will come to you in the next chapter.**

**I would like to thank you for adding this story to your alert/favorite lists, and reviewing. I love reading your thoughts on what I'm writing!**

**The quote and title of this chapter aren't as good as I wanted them to, but I couldn't find anything more appropriate, and I also didn't want to delay updating any further. So, just settle for these now, and if I come up with something better, I will change them later! **

**Oh, another issue I've been meaning to address. I think there are probably going to be about 3 more chapters in this story. I'm toying with the idea of a sequel, but we'll deal with that when the time comes. **

**Feel free to tell me your opinion, don't burn me if you hated it, though! *winks***

**2 am, again. When will I start going to bed at decent hours? **

**I hope you enjoyed this. **

**Add me on twitter: ts_eirini**

**Until next time, take care!**


	6. Giving up on hope

**Hello, everyone! **

**How are you this fine evening?**

**How are you dealing with the first days of the summer hiatus? Personally, I'm re-watching Season 1, and it's so fun! It's amazing realizing how much these characters have grown! *sigh***

**Anyway, this chapter is… bloody, and hopefully touching. **

**I want to thank you all for your support. LTLA will always be my baby, but YCNBS holds a special place in my heart! I hope the same goes for you! :)**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

* * *

><p><em>They say everything will be okay in the end.<em>

_And if it's not okay, then it's not the end._

* * *

><p>Caroline watched with wide eyes as Stefan turned around, and strolled towards her, that crazy expression back on his face. She gulped audibly. She had no idea how much longer she could take this, this whatever he had planned, but she knew one thing for sure. If she wanted to at least have a chance of surviving, she couldn't over-think this situation, or what he was. <em>A vampire, <em>her mind whispered the answer, but she shook her head from side to side. No, she couldn't mull over it.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Stefan's emotionally detached voice reached Elena's ears, as he circled Caroline's stiff body slowly, threateningly. "I've always been a brunette kind of guy, but even I can't _not_ appreciate this! Such a fair complexion," his fingers ran over the clean side of her neck, pausing for a few moments on top of her pulse. "And doesn't she look amazing in this dress, Elena?"

Elena remained silent, her eyes fixed on a random spot on the floor, and that was why she didn't notice Stefan's movement, until he was standing right behind her. She groaned in pain as he pushed her head to the side, revealing the column of her neck to his hungry stare, and mouth.

"When I ask you a question, you are supposed to give me an answer. And you're supposed to do so immediately," he growled against her skin, and Elena frantically nodded in understanding, wanting nothing more than to have him as far away from her body as possible. "So, let's do this again. What do you think of Caroline's dress, Elena Gilbert?"

"I… I think it's amazing. She couldn't have picked a better one," she stuttered, cursing her voice for breaking at practically every syllable. But then again, she was a mere human. How could she had _not _been scared at that point?

"That's very true, Elena," Stefan mumbled letting go of her, and smiling as she rushed to take a few steps towards the opposite direction. "And do you know what makes it even better? Its color. There's nothing more breathtaking than green clothes covered in blood." He moaned as the aroma of the blonde's blood filled his nostrils again. He was hungry.

"How about a quick meal?" he drawled, blurring at Caroline's side, and stroking her arm.

"No," she whimpered faintly, tugging at her chains. As if there was a chance she could escape him.

Elena couldn't believe the absence of sympathy, of care from his eyes as he settled behind Caroline. She clenched her teeth when her gaze connected with her friend's, fear and panic clearly depicted in the latter's. Before Elena had the chance to do something, anything to help her, Stefan's razor sharp teeth had sunk into Caroline's flesh, and her pained screams were echoing around the room.

"No!" Elena shrieked in despair, her heart breaking at the horrible sounds that should have never come out of Caroline's mouth, never in her entire life. "No!" she attempted to approach them, but when Stefan's head shot up, his frenzied eyes zooming in on hers, crimson blood dripping from his chin, she froze in place.

"I'm daring you. Make one more move, and her neck will be broken so quickly, you won't even realize what happened."

Caroline took a few calming breaths, willing her heart to stop beating so fast. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that her torture was over, but that didn't mean she was prepared to have Stefan's teeth back on her skin so soon. She cried out in surprise, the intense pain spreading to her whole form as he hugged her body against his own unbearably tight, bit down on her arm harder, sucked the life out of her even more forcefully.

And as her eyelids dropped, darkness slowly consuming her entire being… she wondered if that was how she would die. Not from a car-accident, excessive alcohol consumption, a little experimenting with drugs… but in the hands of a sadistic vampire.

* * *

><p>Damon rolled his eyes as the young barwoman fought with everything she had to keep her hold on the bourbon bottle. It was really of no use, and after a few seconds long eye contact and the tiniest hint of compulsion, she was quietly walking away.<p>

He tipped the bottle upwards and moaned as the rich flavored alcohol filled his mouth. Nothing could ever make him forget today's events, but he could at least force them to the back of his head for a while. _Booze and boobs._ The cure to every problem a male could ever face.

"Booze and boobs," he murmured, turning his head to the side to inspect the female customers of Mystic Grill. There wasn't anything too exciting, really… a scantily dressed blonde here, a red-head playing pool there, a tipsy brunette … _Stay the fuck away from brunettes_. Nothing good would ever come from spending time with that slim girl, who would only be a painful constant remainder of the only woman he couldn't have. The only woman he fucking _needed_ to have.

A growl built deep in his chest, his frustration rising to levels so high that his acute vampire senses failed to register the two figures approaching him.

"Good evening, Damon Salvatore."

* * *

><p>"Mmmm, so delicious," Stefan whispered as he pulled back, running the back of his hand over his lips to wipe off any remains of her blood. "Now that my stomach is full, how about we put some music on, Elena? What do you think? Rock? Dance? Clasic?"<p>

Elena closed her eyes, struggling to keep her nausea in check. Her stomach was churning, all the food she had consumed over the last hours spinning around, forming a huge mass that she could barely hold back.

"Oh, love, don't be like that," Stefan drawled in a teasing tone, grabbing her left hand, and intertwining their fingers. He grinned as she frowned, the muscles of her entire body clenching under his gaze. "What is it? Are you already bored? Tsts…. and here I was, thinking I was taking good care of you. Let's spice things up a little bit, shall we?"

Elena's breathing caught in her throat as she heard his boots tapping against the wooden floor, and her eyes opened, widening even further when she spotted him standing close to Matt.

"I think it's time for this guy to wake up," Stefan whispered, raising his right arm, and landing a hard punch on the side of Matt's face. The sound of the crush was muffled by the synchronized screams that escaped Elena and Caroline.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Stefan cooed, grinning inwardly, "he's not even dead. Yet." He-not so gently-slapped his cheek, and Matt groaned as he finally started regaining conscious.

"Morning, sunshine," Stefan greeted him, and tears gathered in Elena's eyes, as Matt's frantic gaze swept over the place. He seemed lost, like he didn't even remember how he had gotten there.

"What… what is this?" he asked quietly, his head falling back.

"Don't go all sleeping on me again, Matt," Stefan scolded in a cold tone, grabbing him by the neck, and forcing their stares to lock.

"You will not faint again."

"I will not faint again," Matt repeated in that robotic tone indicating the use of compulsion.

Elena took a few cautious steps in their direction, without even realizing that she was holding her breath.

"Stefan, please, don't hurt him." She said softly, not knowing how far she could take this. Perhaps she was already overstepping her boundaries, perhaps she was already making everything worse. But she couldn't not give it a try.

"Now, why would I do that, Elena?"

"Because it's me you really want, Stefan. I am the one you want to hurt, I am the one you want to kill."

"Elena, what the hell are you doing?" Caroline complained from the other side of the room. "Stefan won't hesitate to do it."

"I know," Elena replied nodding "but Matt doesn't deserve this, Stefan. Please, don't do this."

Stefan chuckled to himself. It was almost as if he had handed her a script, ordering her to memorize her lines. She was saying everything he had dreamed of; it was amazing.

"You know what, Elena? You are right."

"I am?" she shot back, startled by the sudden change in his mood.

"Yes, you are." He removed his hands from Matt's body, and re-approached Elena, who exhaled loudly in relief. "I… I don't know what's gotten into me, Elena. This…" he motioned around the room "this is not right. None of these people deserve to be hurting."

"Exactly," she murmured under her breath, glancing at Caroline from the corner of her eye, who simply rose an eyebrow in confusion.

"They haven't done anything to me," Stefan went on "_they_ don't need to suffer."

"It has to be quick and painless," and with that Stefan moved in a blur, his hand pushing through Matt's shirt, skin, and ribs, his fingers clutching around the human's frantically beating heart.

"NO!" both girls screamed behind him.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Matt requested in a barely audible voice, his body convulsing in pain.

"Because your friend, Elena, asked me not to hurt you, Matt Donovan. She asked me to kill you quickly and painlessly. Well, not really… but that was how I chose to interpret her actual words."

A final yelp left Matt's lips when Stefan retracted his bloody hand, the previously vital for his survival organ nestled into the vampire's palm.

"NO!" Elena shrieked in horror when the heart landed a few feet from her, several drops of blood splashing on her arms. "No!" Matt Donovan, the person who had stood by her side for so many years, the person with whom she had shared so many first experiences with, was now dead. All because of her.

"NO," she cried to herself, her legs failing her, the long tail of her dress dropping into a pool of blood as she feel on her knees.

"You're a freak!" she vaguely heard Caroline calling in the background "How could you? How could you just kill him like that? You're a murderer!" The sound of a slap resounded in the room.

"I suggest you shut the fuck up, you silly human. Or your heart will find its way across the room, too."

This was hell.

There was no hope.

There was no escaping.

* * *

><p>"Good evening, Damon Salvatore."<p>

"Well, if it isn't mama and junior bitch," Damon murmured, merely glancing their way. Whatever vampire agenda they had, whatever they wanted to recruit him for, would have to wait for an indefinite time.

"Damon, I was by the Boarding House a few hours ago," Anna started saying, and if Damon had bothered paying any attention to her, he would have taken notice of the worry in her eyes.

"Sorry I wasn't there to offer you coffee, and cookies. I am not exactly the host kind of person, it seems."

"Damon, I am being serious."

"So, am I, little girl," he snapped back at her, abruptly rising from his seat and towering over the tiny vampire. "And if you failed to figure it out, I am not in the mood for chit-chat, or any other kind of communication. So, I suggest you dragged your ass away before I lose what little patience I have left and rip your head off. Isn't it bed time for the babies, anyway?" his gaze moved to the older woman "What kind of mother would allow her girl to wander around in the night? Who knows what kind of monsters mind be lurking in the shadows?"

"Watch your tongue, Salvatore," Anna sneered, glaring up at him, even though he didn't appear to be particularly fazed "I have over two centuries on you, I could tear you apart before you had the chance to say 'please'."

"Please, Damon, Anna. Threats are not going to help us deal with the situation at hand. We need to calm down and discuss like the civilized people I know we can all be," Pearl intervened, forcing her arm between their bodies, in an effort to keep some sort of distance between the angry vampires.

"The point is that I have no idea what this situation you are going on and on about is, and frankly, I don't care to know. So, excuse me, while I go find a quiet place to finish this fine bourbon." He had had enough. People that couldn't take a hint angered him to no end. He didn't make it far though, before Anna's voice stopped him dead on his tracks.

"Your brother has Jeremy Gilbert."

When she saw him pausing, apparently taken aback and pondering over the revelation, she took a deep breath and went on. "We were together at the Pageant today, but at some point around afternoon I lost him. I tried calling his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. His aunt hadn't seen him, either, and I decided to follow his trail. You can imagine my surprise when it lead me to your place. I thought that maybe he was there with his sister, but when Stefan opened the door, holding a –in a bad shape- Jeremy, I knew that wasn't the case. You brother has gone insane, Damon. He was torturing him, right in front of my eyes, and he had the audacity to smile the whole time."

Damon swallowed, before turning to his side, and glancing at her over his shoulder.

"Like you so proudly pointed out a few minutes ago, you have centuries on both of us, plus, your mama to help you out. Why didn't you just grab your boyfriend and leave? It wouldn't be that hard…"

"Normally, no…. but, things change when a vampire is using a witch."

"A witch? What the hell are you talking about?" Was this some kind of dream? Had he passed out from the alcohol? How could have Stefan found a witch to help him with whatever he wanted to do with Jeremy?

"There is a spell on the Boarding House. I couldn't enter, and trust me, I tried." She was on the verge of going insane. From what she could tell, Damon had no part in Stefan's vicious plans. Then, how was she supposed to save Jeremy?

"Listen," Damon said tiredly "yes, my brother isn't exactly stable right now, but I don't know what the hell was that made you believe I would help you with anything. We are not friends, or allies, and we're never going to be. You wanna save your boy? Go ahead, and try. But there is nothing that would make me fight along with you."

Pearl rolled her eyes at the much younger vampire's slurred words. He wanted to look tough, and maybe it usually worked, but she wasn't affected by his nonchalant attitude. He would help them, and she had just the right information to persuade him to.

"What if I tell you that he also has the Gilbert girl… It's Elena, right?"

"What?" Anna blurted out, her expression changing into one of shock.

Damon couldn't speak, he could barely think straight. His eyes widened as he put the pieces together… Stefan holding Elena's brother, and Elena, a spell that kept Anna, and probably himself, out of the boarding house…

"No," he whispered to himself, the bottle slipping from his hand and shattering on the wooden floor. All this time… all these days, Stefan had _indeed_ been coming up with a plan. He cringed as he remembered the last time Stefan had enjoyed being a vampire. There were always pools of blood left behind, and drained, disassembled bodies.

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have let her walk straight into the lion's den?

He was out of the Mystic Grill in a blur, the two female vampires long forgotten, the human charade he had to keep up, too. _She _occupied the forefront of his thoughts, basically every single inch of his thoughts. Would she be still alive? Would she be scared? Angry at him? Unconscious? Bleeding? And would he able to save her?

The cold wind felt like slaps against his skin, succesfully washing away the effects of alcohol, and clearing his head, until there was only one thing that mattered. Two, actually. Saving Elena. Staking his idiot of a brother.

* * *

><p>The only sounds that filled the room for the next couple of minutes were Stefan's choice of some eerie violin music, and Elena's sobs. She couldn't stop them, and God, she had tried. She cursed herself for giving him the satisfaction of witnessing her suffering, but every time she attempted to wipe her cheeks for the <em>last<em> time, Matt's final moments flashed before her eyes, and she was a weeping mess all over again.

Her head shot up abruptly at the sound of the doorbell ringing, her heart jolting in fear, and then in a tiny amount of hope.

She watched as Stefan made his way out of the room with a smirk on his face, and she waited for a few moments, before rising up and approaching Jeremy, who was still unconscious. If one thing was certain, it was that Stefan would be distracted for a while, either if the sudden guest was a friend, or a foe. She decidedly brushed her arm over her wet eyes, her make-up being the least of her concerns, and inspected the knots on the ropes that were holding her brother's body suspended from the roof. She swore under her breath when she realized exactly how tight they were, and even the rope was too thick for her to easily cut through with a simple kitchen knife.

If watching NCIS had taught her anything, it was that all criminals make at least one mistake. There is always something that will skip their attention, something that will help their victims escape, or the police capture them. Then again, Stefan wasn't your typical abductor and murderer. He was a century old vampire, a natural hunter.

With a sigh of disappointment, she discovered that she wouldn't have any more luck freeing Caroline. Maybe, if she found something sharp enough, maybe she could make it.

* * *

><p>"Hello, brother!" Stefan whispered, leaning against the hard wooden door. "I don't remember inviting you to my romantic weekend with my girlfriend, Elena."<p>

"Cut the crap, Stefan. This is no romantic weekend. You are not planning to have dinner and make passionate love to her in a bed surrounded by candles and rose petals."

"Do enlighten me, brother. What _am_ I planning to do with her?"

Damon sucked in a deep breath. He hadn't dealt with this Stefan in decades, and he hadn't tried saving anyone from his claws before. It felt like an impossible task.

"You want to kill her," he eventually growled behind locked teeth, causing Stefan to chuckle loudly in response.

"You sound like you're almost sorry for her…. Be careful, brother. Your humanity is showing."

"I swear to God, if you dare touch a single hair from her head I am going to rip your heart out and feed it to the dogs," Damon threatened, overwhelmed by his worry for Elena. The intense smell of blood coming from the living room, not exactly helping him relax.

"Now, that is not how it's going to be, Damon," Stefan murmured, folding his arms in front of his chest, and gazing at him with a calculative look. "I could make you a deal, though."

A deep frown formed on Damon's forehead as he contemplated the situation. There was no way Stefan would ask for anything easy, but that didn't change the fact that he was willing to do practically anything to protect Elena.

"What kind of deal?" he hesitantly asked, wondering if he would regret it during the next minutes.

"I give you Elena, you take her somewhere safe, I never go anywhere near her again, and then we leave town together."

"Why… wh… why would you want to leave town with me?" Damon wondered aloud, incapable of finding the answer by himself.

"Because when I brought that human girl to you, Damon, I wasn't dreaming of an eternity of us hating each other, fighting each other, making each other's life a living hell. I wanted us to be brothers forever. This is all I want," Stefan admitted, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

He was definitely not expecting that kind of answer. Could it really be that Stefan gave in to his bloodlust because he felt lonely? And could what he was suggesting ever come true? Could they be the brothers they used to be? The best-friends, always having the other's back?

He didn't know, he couldn't know. But one thing was certain. If giving it a try was what it took to help Elena, then he would take the chance.

"Okay." Damon whispered, his eyes searching his brother's face for any hint of dishonesty. He found none.

"Okay,' Stefan repeated, and turning slightly to the side, he gently called Elena's name.

Elena froze in place. Her breath quickened as she hurriedly closed the drawers she'd been currently going through, and straightened her back.

"Elena, could you, please, come here?" he asked again, and she couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the unusual amount of kindness in his voice. He sounded too much like the old Stefan, but she could no longer bring herself to trust him. She knew well enough by now that he was a master at hiding his emotions, and even more so at faking them.

"Elena, I promise, I am not going to hurt you. Damon is here, he is here to take you home."

"Damon?" Elena whispered to herself, her curiosity now peaked, and forcing her feet to move towards the hall. She spared a last glance at Matt's motionless body, and at Caroline's and Jeremy's unconscious one's, and she silently promised that she wouldn't abandon them at that horrible place.

Damon literally counted in his head Elena's footsteps. He needed to see that she was okay, he needed to be sure that their fight-which now seemed so stupid- hadn't resulted in more suffering for her.

A gasp escaped both of them, as she peeked from the corner, their gazes instantly locking. He felt like kneeling down on the ground and crying at the great amount of sorrow and fear clearly depicted in her eyes. She shouldn't have been through all these, he should have protected her.

"Damon?" Elena murmured, unable to accept that he was really there, that this was really over.

Damon nodded once, and reached out his hand, motioning for her to come closer.

_But is it really over? _Elena asked herself, glancing at Stefan, who was smiling… apologetically? at her.

"It is okay, Elena. My brother and I have come to an agreement, you are safe now." This was a trap, she could feel it. There was something dark, sinister in his eyes. She glanced again at Damon, wondering why he hadn't noticed it, too. Or maybe he knew Stefan wasn't being honest, and he had some sort of plan?

Damon nodded again, "Come on, Elena, let's get you home."

"What about the others?" she questioned quietly, holding her ground.

"I will make sure they are safe," Stefan reassured her, earning himself a glare.

"Do you expect me to trust you? After everything that happened today? You tortured my brother, you fed on my friend, and killed another one! I can't even look you in the eye right now. You disgust me."

"Elena," Damon called urgently, wanting to grab her attention, and keep her from screwing this up. Nobody could know for how long Stefan would remain calm.

"No, it's okay, Damon, don't worry. I can understand why Elena feels this way, I wouldn't expect anything else from her at this point. It doesn't change our deal. Go to Damon, Elena," Stefan said taking a step back to put more distance between them.

Elena couldn't help but raise her eyebrow… his reactions, his expressions… they looked genuine, but were they?

Damon could see her indecision as her gaze trailed, and lingered on the parlor. What exactly had happened in there? _Who_ was in there apart from her brother?

"I will take them home, Elena," he said in a strong voice "but first I need you to come out here, so that I can take _you_ somewhere safe."

"Okay," Elena whispered, finally starting to approach him, slowly, carefully, her eyes always fixed on Stefan. She was shaken, that much he could tell, but at least she was physically unharmed. The blood on her dress didn't seem to be hers, and there were no visible wounds on her.

She was only three steps away from Damon now, three steps away from the person who was representing safety, and warmth, and shelter.

"Come to me, Elena," Damon encouraged her, his tone bordering plea. But he couldn't care at that point. He had made clear how strongly he felt for her, and anyway, that wasn't the time to be concerned about their relationship.

Her heart fluttered when she realized how close she was to him, and when she saw from the corner of her eye Stefan leaning against the wall, his head hanging low on his chest, she knew that she had been wrong. There was no trap. She was safe. Damon had once again come to her rescue, he had saved her life. A tiny smile tugged on her lips as she moved her legs, a smile that was soon mirrored by Damon. It was over, it was really over.

He saw the intention in her eyes, he recognized the way she positioned her body, and he opened his arms wide, preparing to accept her in them. Her smile transitioned into a radiating grin, her pace quickening, her high heels taking the second step.

_Only one more step,_ Elena thought, leaping forwards.

But instead of finding herself into Damon's secure warm embrace, Elena collided with an invisible barrier. Panic rose inside of her, as she pushed her palms against the firm wall that kept her from protection, that kept her from Damon.

"No, no, no, no, no," they chanted in unison, desperate eyes staring at each other, hands that should have been touching, pressing against the barrier instead.

Stefan's booming laughter echoed through the house, and it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured on their heads.

Elena's lower lip started trembling as she understood that her suspicions had in fact just been confirmed. Stefan had played them, both of them. He had made them believe that he was giving up, that he would let her go. But that was nowhere near the truth…

"You know I found hilarious the fact that you have been considered the bad brother for so long," Stefan said as he walked closer "but all it took to fool you was some stupid story of us bonding again. Who are you?"

"Stefan, I swear to God, if you are going to h…" Damon started saying, dark veins popping out around his eyes.

"Do tell me, Damon. What are you going to do if I hurt her?" Stefan demanded, blurring in front of a trembling Elena, and removing her vervain necklace in a swift move.

Elena shrieked as the chain broke through the skin on the back of her neck, and she walked backwards, in a feeble effort to stay away from Stefan. He had already too much power over her, but now… without the vervain, she was absolutely helpless. He could make her do anything he wanted, and there was nothing her, or anybody else could do to stop him.

"You know, Elena, when Damon first came into town," Stefan went on, grabbing her arm, and turning her around, so that his body was firmly pressed against her backside. "He suggested that we both came after you, that we fed on you, that we killed you, together."

Damon growled. "Don't listen to him, Elena."

"Do you deny saying it?" Stefan asked, as he gently moved Elena's hair to the side.

"It doesn't matter, Damon," Elena whispered quietly.

"Indeed it doesn't matter…" Stefan agreed with a sigh. "Because you are now too soft for my liking, Damon, so unfortunately, or fortunately, I will have to carry on that plan on my own."

Elena gasped as Stefan bit down on her neck, not as harshly as a few days ago, but still painfully enough. He was taking his time, it was obvious that he didn't want to kill her too soon.

Damon forced his body against the barrier, knowing that it wouldn't make any difference, he would never make it inside. A tear slowly ran down the side of his face as Elena's wide eyes focused on his own.

"I am sorry, Damon," she mouthed at him, knowing that this could very well be the last time she would get to see him, so she had to say these things to him, even though she found it particularly hard to focus on anything else other than her throbbing neck. "I am sorry that I didn't trust you, I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry that I will never be able to fix this. I am sorry."

"I will save you." Damon whispered back putting in his words as much conviction as he could. Who was it that he was trying to persuade?

"No, you won't. But it's okay. Because this is my fault. I deserve this."

Damon, shook his head in disagreement, but before he could reply, his attention was fixed on Stefan, who was finally pulling back from Elena's wounded flesh.

"Mmm, that's enough for now, I think," he muttered, licking his lips. "Brother, it's a shame I can't trust you to share this delectable blood with me. So, why don't you just… run along while me and Elena have a little fun?"

The door closed loudly, leaving a dizzy Elena and a hopeless Damon on its opposite sides, so close to each other, but so tortuously far away.

* * *

><p><em>They say everything will be okay in the end.<em>

_And if it's not okay, then it's not the end._

_But what happens when beyond a shadow of a doubt it is the end? _

_And it's horrible, and painful, and heartbreaking… but there is absolutely nothing you can do to change it? _

_Holding on to hope is a good thing. It can give you strength, the power to keep fighting…_

_But at some point, it is time for you to face reality._

_And sometimes, that reality might not be as bright as hope made it appear._

* * *

><p><strong>So, I'm basically trying to write Ripper-Stefan as a devious little monster whom no one can fully understand, not even his own brother. Damon had mentioned it in "Defense mechanisms", that ripper Stefan's head is a dark dark place he can't figure out. Here, we got the proof. Damon didn't realize that Stefan was toying with him, Elena and their emotions.<strong>

**I wanted to make the last scene very tragic, with Elena and Damon actually believing that they were safe, and abruptly coming to the conclusion that their torture is far from over. I hope I succeeded.**

**Hm, what else… Matt died. We didn't have the chance to get to know him in this story, there was no time for that. But his death was hard for me to write, anyway. Something is telling me that the next chapter will be even worse to finish…**

**Anyway, Jeremy has been silent, I know. I haven't forgotten he is there, but since he has suffered more serious injuries than the others, I think it's expected that he would be unconscious for longer.**

**Anna and Pearl! I couldn't leave them out of this story, now, could I? I am pretty sure you have all realized how much I love our tiny vampire!**

**Anyway, see that wonderful button at the bottom of the page with the brand new look? Hit it and let me know what you thought of this chapter! **

**Until next time, take care!**


	7. Unexpected sources

**A huge thanks to Grace4Delena for pre-reading this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to.**

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes help can come from the least expected place...in the least expected form…<em>

* * *

><p>Jenna redialed Jeremy's number, and brought the phone close to her ear. Like the last fifty times it went straight to voicemail, causing a loud groan to escape her lips. Her arm shot out in frustration, the device luckily landing on the soft cushions of the sofa.<p>

"Shit," Jenna cursed under her breath, running a hand through her already tangled hair. Jeremy should have been home by now, or he should have at least contacted her. True, the first few months with the three of them had been tough. They had all suffered a great loss, and figuring out the new balances, building a new non-traditional type of family had been a huge challenge. They had experienced some really dark times, Jeremy's drug-using period being on the top of the list. But she thought they were making progress. She actually believed that both Elena and Jeremy were having a relatively good life again, and that she was a main contributor to that.

"Who am I kidding?" she wondered aloud in the empty room, her eyes finding her sister's picture on the coffee table. She could never be Miranda. She could never be as good as her at anything. At the end of the day, she was still the immature twenty year old college student, who only had parties and boys in her mind. She wasn't mother material. It wasn't in her.

But for whatever reason, Miranda and Grayson had chosen her as their kids' guardian. So, she owed them to always look out for Jeremy and Elena.

John Gilbert couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise when he entered the house, and saw Jenna hurrying across the living room, and picking up her cell phone from the couch. If his eyes weren't fooling him, her hands were actually shaking.

"What is going on?" he asked warily, and Jenna jumped up in startle.

"Great, just great. This is exactly what I need. You being here to remind me how unfitting I am for this role. As if I don't already know it," she snapped, glaring at him over her shoulder.

The obvious sparkle in her eyes, combined with the eerie silence at the rest of the house, grabbed his attention. Something was wrong.

"Jenna, what are you talking about?" he asked urgently, approaching her with wide steps "Who are you trying to call?"

She knew that he would only use this against her. She knew that she was probably going to regret it soon. But she was scared shitless, and she couldn't handle this alone. Even having the biggest ass of asses by her side would be a relief, a form of help.

"Jeremy has gone missing."

"But we saw him this evening, at the pageant," John attempted to reason with her, before sighing in relief. He was sure that was just a big misunderstanding.

"No one has ever seen him since, though. Nobody knows where he went."

"Did you check with his friends?" he asked, feeling as if he was pointing out the obvious. Surely there was no real danger. This was just Jenna panicking without reason. "Maybe they planned something, and ditched the event without letting anyone know."

"He doesn't have any friends lately other than Anna, the girl I showed you. But she was the first one to notice his absence."

"Well, have you talked to Elena? Maybe she knows," he suggested tiredly.

"She doesn't. And she's at Stefan's, anyway. They are spending the weekend together."

John tried to keep away the images his mind conjured of his daughter with that vampire, and concentrate on the issue of Jeremy.

"I am pretty sure he is just fine, Jenna," he said honestly "he will come home sooner, or later. And if he doesn't, which won't be case, I will call Liz. How does that sound?"

"Not good enough," she grumbled, resuming her previous task of repeatedly calling her nephew's number.

"You won't make him come home with that! He needs some time, trust me. I have been in his age, I know how it is."

"I cannot believe that you are so calm about this!" Jenna exclaimed in bewilderment "Jeremy could be lying dead at the side of the road, and you are talking about him without even blinking!"

"I am being mature and logical, Jenna! Not uncaring!" he shot back.

"Here we go! And I was wondering when we would be back on this topic again!"

"You know what, Jenna? I am not going to do this tonight! I have had an incredibly long day, and arguing with you is the last thing I want to do right now!"

He quickly turned around and walked towards the staircase. Too many things had happened in a time span of twenty hours. He found out his nephew was dating a hundreds years old vampire, then there was that broken mirror and blood in one of the bathrooms of the Mayor's manor, and now his daughter was in the arms of Stefan Salvatore. A vampire. With his own child.

A gasped escaped him, just as he placed his foot on the first step. The separate thoughts in his head suddenly started connecting together, like pieces of a puzzle he never wanted to prove true.

"Jenna!" he yelled, as he once again changed direction and re-entered the living room. "Call Elena."

"But she is with Stefan, I wo…"

"Call her," he repeated a little more forcefully, his eyes widening, and Jenna nodded, unable to refuse when that vein violently throbbed on his forehead.

"It goes to voicemail," she whispered a few moments later "but it's nothing, John. I am sure her battery died, or she simply wanted some privacy."

"Jenna, in all the years you have known Elena, when has she ever turned off her phone?"

"Never."

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>"You know, Elena, when I first met you, you looked so innocent. Nothing like Katherine, nothing at all." Stefan said conversationally, grabbing her from the elbow, and all but dragging her towards the old wooden staircase. Elena struggled not to stumble, although in all honestly it proved to be more difficult with every passing second. The events of the day had drained her from practically all of her energy, and her vision was no longer perfectly defined and detailed. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and even focusing on Stefan's words was a hard task to accomplish. "But given your interaction with my brother that I just witnessed… I am starting to believe that you two share more than your looks. Which I will, of course, use to turn this evening into a more exciting than it already is."<p>

She couldn't even find it in her to panic. Everything was fuzzy, nothing seemed to matter anymore. This way or another, she wouldn't make it out of that house alive. Did it really make any difference exactly how her end would come?

When they entered Stefan's spacious bedroom, and he mindlessly shoved her in the direction of his king sized bed, she took the few steps separating her from the furniture representing a God-sent oasis, and sighed in relief when her body touched the soft mattress. Closing her eyes, she took a few calming breaths, and allowed her mind to drift in a calm place where nothing happened, where she could simply exist without having to worry about anything.

Stefan whistled an old tune as he opened the door of his wardrobe, in search of the few items he had purchased at the beginning of that week. He smiled broadly when he spotted the burgundy bag, and gently ran his fingers over the material of the black nightgown. His gaze sifted to Elena's unmoving form on his bed, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Could this girl get any more boring? Well, admittedly, she had been quite fun to watch so far, with all the shrieks, and the tears, and the tremors going through her body. But he couldn't accept her giving up so soon. He needed to get a reaction out of her, he needed to see her scared, fighting for her life. He needed to drive her to her limits.

He approached her with confident strides, and let the bag fall on the foot of the bed. She looked completely unaware of his presence, no changes in her heartbeat, or breathing. It was frustrating, if he wanted to be honest with himself. But Stefan Salvatore wasn't about to let his food play with him. It was supposed to be the other way around. And it would be.

Elena gasped when she felt strong hands grabbing her legs, and turning her around so that her back was against the bed, and her now wide open eyes staring at the white ceiling. She had been so lost in her daydreaming that she had actually managed to forget about her surroundings, and the unfortunate situation she had found herself in. But when she spotted Stefan towering over her, everything she had witnessed over the last hours came crashing down on her. And when he grabbed the middle of her dress and pulled hard, the thin material tearing up, and leaving her exposed in nothing but her underwear, everything became too real, too soon.

Stefan smirked as he watched Elena screaming in horror, and hurrying to get as far away from him as possible. Her hands gripped the sides of her dress, tugging them closer in an effort to cover up.

"Going somewhere, Elena?" he drawled, climbing on the bed, and crawling towards her side. Her eyes filled with tears as he neared her slowly, giving her the chance to run away. Would she? He wished that she would take the opening; the chase could always make a hunt way more entertaining. Elena's eyes jumped wildly around, as she seemed to consider her options, and the next second she was off the bed.

Tears streamed down the sides of her face for what felt like the hundredth time that day as she skipped across the room in the quickest pace she could master. But her few minutes short rest couldn't have compensated for all the blood she had lost, for all the torture she'd been through. By the time she was halfway across the room, she was already feeling lightheaded, and even though her initial plan was to rush out on the hall, with a disappointed sigh she ducked into Stefan's bathroom. Even as she turned the key on the lock, and leaned her body against the hard surface, she knew she was nowhere near safe. A mere lock would never be able to stop a vampire, especially a determined one like Stefan. And when he pushed against the only barrier between them, causing her already trembling body to shake from the force, she knew that in a matter of seconds he would have his hands on her.

"Elena!" Stefan called from the other side of the door, enjoying himself a little too much "Open the door." He granted her a few seconds to do so, and when nothing happened, he shoved against it again, this time using a little bit of his vampire strength, and leaving a noticeable dent on it. "Elena!" he growled, marveling in the further increase of the rhythm of her heart. "I am breaking down this door, and I don't care if you're standing right behind it, or not."

"One," Elena inhaled deeply through her nose, as she contemplated the situation. Maybe this would be an easier death than whatever Stefan had planned "Two" but was it a certain death? Or would she only manage to be already injured while she would have to suffer in his hands? "I warned you. Three."

Everything happened so quickly, that all Elena could see was a blur of movement. She had tried to leap away from the door as fast as she could, but the stinging pain on the back of her calf told her that it wasn't fast enough. She waited for the dust to settle, before glancing back to access her wound. A rather sizeable piece of wood had thrust into her skin, and a pool of blood was already forming on the marble floor. A sharp intake of breath reminded her of the exact reason why the door had given in. _Stefan._

Elena's gaze hesitantly focused on Stefan's impassive one.

"You have no idea how much worse you have made this for yourself," he murmured, lifting her up as if she weighted nothing, and throwing her over his right shoulder.

"Let go of me," Elena fruitlessly whaled, punching his back, even though she knew he could probably barely feel it. "Let go of me."

Stefan ignored her screaming and for the second time tossed her on the bed, face down. Yes, he wanted her to attempt to escape him, but he had never planned to destroy his own home. She was a nasty little bitch that would pay for going against his plan. This time, when she started crawling towards the other side of the bed, he simply reached down and removed the wood from her wound.

Pain shot through Elena's body, making her shiver, and grit her teeth together.

"_You_ brought this on yourself," Stefan said from behind her, and when his teeth sank into her fresh injury, she finally understood what he meant. He was angry, she could feel it in the reckless way he drank from her. But he wasn't done, yet. He bit down a little to the left, and then to the right, and after a few minutes, Elena was certain her entire calf was torn apart. It sure felt like it.

With a quick move, the remains of her dress were jerked off her body, and Stefan's bloodied lips were ghosting above her skin. Elena softly whimpered as he kissed and occasionally bit on her flesh. He wasn't drinking anymore, merely causing her pain, and reminding her of who had the upper hand.

A groan escaped her when he span her around, the now sore back part of her body pressing against the sheets.

"This could have gone a completely different way," Stefan mumbled against her thigh, before nibbling down on it "You would have dressed in the clothes I bought for you," he repeated the action on her arm "and we would have had a passionate night."

Elena's stomach turned when their mouths touched, his aggressive tongue pushing through her lips, and seeking out her own. She could feel the bitter taste of her own blood, and it was what drove her to gather the courage she needed to slap his cheek as hard as she could.

He pulled back from her instantly, his eyes filling with blood, black veins popping out on his skin.

"I am afraid you haven't realized how pissed I am at you, or how far I am willing to take this," he grunted, and Elena experienced a whole new kind of fear as his fingers looped through the sides of her underwear, and hastily removed them.

"No! No, no, please, I am begging you, Stefan, don't, please," she begged with everything she had, as she tried to close her legs, hide her body from his furious stare, move away from him, all at once. Nothing worked. One hand clamped down on her leg, effectively holding her in place, despite her constant thrashing, while the other one fumbled with the buckle of his belt.

"This is your fault, Elena, and you are only making it harder for you," Stefan roared over her screaming.

They were both so caught up in their emotions, and task at hand, that none of them noticed the third figure walking inside, and coming to stand a few feet from them.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie demanded, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes fixed on the back of Stefan's head.

"Get the hell out of here, Bonnie," Stefan growled, while Elena stared at her friend speechless.

"I am asking you what do you think you are doing." She repeated, but her face noticeably paled when he turned around to glare at her, in all of his vampire glory.

"And I told you that what I do is none of your business," he stressed impatiently "now, get the hell out of here, or I swear I will cut your head off."

"You can't kill me, Stefan," Bonnie shot back, a triumphant hint apparent both in her expression, and voice "the moment you kill me, the barrier-spell will wear off. And that is not a part of your plan, is it?"

"_You_ did that?" Elena exclaimed before Stefan had the chance to reply, and Bonnie winced as her gaze locked with the bloodied girl's. She was in a terrible state, that much she could tell. "You helped him? You actually helped him?"

"I had no choice, Elena," Bonnie whispered, but Elena refused to feel any sort of sympathy for her.

"You had no choice?" she exclaimed as fresh tears formed in her eyes "Matt is dead, Caroline and Jeremy will soon be, I am living my worst nightmare, and all you have to say is 'I had no choice?'. How could you? Who are you?"

"I am sorry to interrupt your moment, girls," Stefan intervened stealing from Bonnie the chance to reply "but I do not in the slightest care about your friendship. Bonnie, you and I had a deal. You are not to question what I do. I thought we were clear on that. And you know what happens if you go back on your word."

Bonnie swallowed hard, as she nodded in understanding.

"I will be downstairs." She mumbled, and without a last glance at Elena, she walked back out on the corridor.

Elena's expression was one of bewilderment and betrayal as she stared at her friend's retreating form, but it wouldn't last for long.

"Now, where were we?" Stefan said, undoing the buttons of his jeans. Elena shook her head from side to side, as she shoved her fists against his chest.

"No, don't, please…"

Stefan rolled his eyes and went on unzipping his pants.

Suddenly, Elena's body went limp, and her arms fell lifelessly on her sides. Her eyes were closed, she almost look like she was sleeping.

"What the hell?" he mumbled to himself, as he leaned down to inspect her closer. Perhaps she was only playing him, pretending to be asleep so that he would leave her alone?

But when he repeatedly slapped her cheeks, without managing to get a reaction out of her, he knew that wasn't the case. And as he retraced with his mind the last moments she had been conscious, he realized that she wouldn't have fainted out of the blue. Even though she had several injuries, she still had enough energy to struggle against him. If her fainting had been natural, she would have shown signs of weakness before passing out.

His nostrils flared as suddenly realization hit him. Elena hadn't passed out on her own. This was someone else's doing. A _witch's_ doing.

"Bonnie!" Stefan's infuriated voice echoed through the house, and Bonnie raised a hand above her heart. She was hoping that he wouldn't be able to connect Elena's fainting to her so quickly. She was hoping that she would manage to go away with it.

"What the fuck have you done?" Stefan growled as he came to stand in front of her, trapping her between his lethal body and the wall.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you stupid witch! What did you do to Elena?"

"Elena's body had suffered too much. She needed time to recover. To put it simply, she has gone to sleep," she replied as calmly as she could.

"To put it simply, when will she wake up?" Stefan questioned, trying to wrap his mind around how quickly his plan had gone to hell.

"When her body decides she's ready to."

"Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie…" Stefan whispered, gently caressing the side of her face "you weren't supposed to mess with my plan. Like I said, it wasn't a part of our deal. Now, you broke it. So, I don't need to hold my part, either." He grinned wickedly at her, before turning around and moving towards the basement.

"You won't hurt my dad." Bonnie stated forcefully, and the conviction in her voice was so strong, that made him shift so that he could face her again.

"Come again?"

"If you do, I will pull down the spell."

"I don't care," he answered shrugging his shoulders "No one is in a state to run away. I will still have enough time to kill them while you watch, and then I will kill you for betraying me. And don't tell me you don't care whether I kill your little friends, or not. After the stunt you pulled with Elena, it's pretty obvious that you do."

"If I take down the spell, though, Stefan, anyone will be able to enter the house. And if I am not mistaken, you have two vampires that would love nothing more than to drive a stake through your heart. One of them, older than you. So, basically, if I take down the spell, yes, you will probably kill all of us, but I am sure you will be joining us soon." She gasped when he blurred in front of her again.  
>"Is that supposed to be a threat, Bonnie?" he clarified, and she shook her head.<p>

"No. I am just stating facts."

Stefan chuckled to himself as he took a step back, and regarded her with a thoughtful look.

"I still like you, Bonnie. You make a good partner. So, I am not going to hurt your father this time. But don't keep pushing your lack. I am not known as the forgiving type."

* * *

><p>Damon groaned as he drained his umpteenth tumbler of bourbon and poured another one. With a loud huff he plopped down on the couch, and rested his head against the back. He wasn't good at this. He had never been good at this. Patience had never been one of his traits, and he wasn't interested in practicing it at his one hundred and sixty fourth year of age. He wasn't supposed to be sitting in this living room and trying to calm his nerves with alcohol. He was supposed to be making sure that Elena was safe and his brother lying in a hole on the ground. Or tied on a roof without his ring.<p>

"Screw this," Damon growled in frustration, abruptly sitting up, and running in the direction Anna's voice was coming from.

Pearl didn't seem surprised when he entered the room and blurred to stand in front of her daughter, his expression holding an almost menacing edge as their eyes locked.

"This was your idea of helping each other?" he asked with a raised eyebrow "Me drinking myself into oblivion, and you calling a sex-line to get over your little boyfriend? News flash, baby. The longer we take to come up with something, the less the chances of getting either one of them out of there alive, are."

"Since you've got it all figured out, captain," Anna snapped back, not in the slightest fazed by his attitude "do tell me how we're going to take them out, if we can't go in!"

Pearl couldn't help but roll her eyes when Damon opened his mouth to respond. Frankly, it amazed her how easy it was for her daughter and Damon Salvatore to bicker like five year olds. And she was certain that given the chance, they would go on for ever.

"Anna has been trying to reach a witch willing to help us, Damon," she explained.

"And how is operation Sabrina going?" he inquired, even though the answer was pretty obvious.

"As shitty as it could," Anna moaned, breaking from their locked stare and leaning against the window. "All of the witches I used to know are either dead, or too far away. And Bree who is definitely not old enough to be dead is not answering my calls."

Damon winced visibly at the name 'Bree'. In a world of billions of people it was probably a coincidence, but then again, how many witches named Bree existed?

"Bree…" he breathed, as he twirled the glass around, the liquid splashing against the borders. "Does your witch Bree happen to live in Georgia?"

"Yes," Anna looked up to him in surprise "she has a bar there. Do you know her?"

"Yeah… I don't think you are going to find her."

"Why?" she asked timidly, the events of the day weighing on her and making it harder to control her reactions.

"Maybe… I kind of… ripped her heart out a little, last time we met…"

Anna had pushed him against the wall faster than anyone of them could blink, her fingers digging into the skin of his neck painfully hard.

"You mean you have killed Bree?"

"Can't breathe…" Damon chocked in response.

"Answer the question, Damon. Is Bree dead?"

"Yes," he mumbled, causing the older vampire to curse under her breath and let him drop on the floor. His hands instinctively moved to his already healing neck, as Anna started pacing up and down the length of the room.

"But if Bree is dead," Pearl whispered "that means that…"

"That means that there is nothing left for us to do," Anna finished her sentence.

"Why? Just move on to the next witchie friend on your contacts, Anna." Damon was annoyed at the turn of the evening. Everything was going fucking wrong and slow.

"That's exactly the thing, Damon!" Anna cried out "Bree was my _last_ choice. There's nobody else. And it's your fault. God, it's always your fault."

"Always my fault? What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means it's 1864 all over again. You and your brother screw up all the time, and it's the people I love that always get hurt."

"Watch it, little one," Damon said warningly, but their conversation ended suddenly, when the bell of the front door rang, and all of their heads snapped in that direction.

"Expecting company?" Damon whispered, and Pearl shook her head from side to side.

"No… Harper, will you get the door, please?" she asked and they all waited as Harper's footsteps echoed in the hall. The door opened with a screeching sound, there was a thud, and then… nothing. The three vampires exchanged equally alarmed expressions as they all turned to face the door, fully aware that a human would show up there at any moment.

Damon's thoughts raced as he tried to figure out what was going on. Whatever scenario he had come up with was nowhere near reality. His eyebrows flew a good half mile up his forehead when John Gilbert appeared on the threshold, eyes serious and fierce.

"Do you have a death sentence, or something?" Damon was the first one to react "I thought we had cleared that I don't have grandpa's invention, and I am not going to help you get it."

"You are looking for Jonathan Gilbert's invention?" Pearl asked surprised, her gaze moving over the newcomer's form.

"I used to. But it's not the reason I am here tonight."

"Were you feeling lonely and came to grab a drink with us?" Damon asked sarcastically, earning himself a pointed glare from Pearl.

"Let the man talk, Damon. What would you want, Mr…"

"John. John Gilbert," Pearl's sharp intake of breath was easily heard by everyone but not further acknowledged "I am here because both my niece and nephew are missing, and even though I don't know why, or how, Stefan Salvatore seems to be at blame for this. You don't strike me like long lost friends who are hanging out at a peaceful Saturday night, so I am guessing you are here for the same reason I am. You want to help Jeremy and Elena."

"Aww, how cute," Damon drawled teasingly "you are dreaming of being a part of the Scooby gang. Sorry, so not going to happen. See yourself out, Uncle Sam. You are wasting our time."

"You are in no position to give orders in my house, Damon," Pearl's raised voice said.

"No, you don't get it," John cut in. "I am not here to _ask_ to help, or _offer_ my assistance. I am here because we _are_ doing this together, and because you _need_ me."

"Let's just compel him, and send him away, mother," Anna mumbled, moments before the lights inside the house flickered.

If they had been humans, they would have brushed it away as an electricity issue, but the vampire nature comes with suspiciousness and strong instinct of survival.

"What was that?" Pearl whispered, as the lights died once again, only to turn back on in a few seconds.

"Who the hell is with you?" Damon demanded, attempting to approach John, the only one who looked completely relaxed. But after he took a single step, darkness enveloped all of them, and Anna stated the thing they all knew to be true. "It's a witch."

Damon shook his head, even though nobody could actually see him.

"He didn't come _just_ with a witch."

The sound of breaking crystal filled the room as various lamps exploded, and others shone with bright light.

All of their gazes fixed on the new figure now standing next to John, and all of their lips formed the same name.

"Katherine…"

"Missed me?" Katherine asked with a small smile on her face, and her hands firmly placed on the sides of her waist.

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes help can come from the least expected place… in the least expected form…<em>

_Someone that used to be your enemy…_

_Someone that you haven't seen in years…_

_Someone that has betrayed you…_

_Your heart struggles; you don't want to trust them…_

_But when that's all you've got… the only thing you can do is accept their help, and pray that they won't stab you in the back._

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for the alertsfavorites/reviews. **

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**Until next time, take care.**


	8. The final battle

**This is it!**

**This is the chapter that gave birth to _You can never be sure._**

**I have waited for so long to finally write down these events… I can't even begin to describe my excitement now that it is complete!**

**I need to warn you that this chapter is a hard one to read. I cried while writing most parts of it. **

**I would like to thank you for all of the alerts, and favorites, and reviews! I always get giddy when I get an email from ff. net! **

**And to those out there who choose to be silent… just know that you are being extremely rude.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

* * *

><p>"<em>The war is over."<em>

_This is what everyone expects to hear in order to resume living their normal lives, isn't it?_

_But we must not forget…_

_In war, there are no unwounded soldiers._

_And sometimes, even no unwounded civilians._

* * *

><p>Elena abruptly sat up on the bed, her eyes wide open, her hands tightly gripping the white sheets beneath her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her breaths came out in short pants, and her gaze moved around the room. She was still at the Boarding House, still in Stefan's bedroom, even though <em>he<em> was nowhere to be seen. A small frown appeared on her forehead as she inspected her form. Gone was the royal blue dress, gone the long trails of blood on her skin, as well. Now she was dressed in a short, way too revealing for her taste black nightgown, and her body had been cleaned. The wounds were still there, of course, along with the discomfort they brought on, but it seemed like Stefan had tried to make her presentable. Why? She cringed as she pictured his hands on her, undressing her.

With a quiet sigh, she brought her legs to the side of the bed, and carefully stood up. She felt…weird. Tired, and in pain, but also strangely energized. Like she had had a good night's sleep. Could she had? Would Stefan had let her? A curious expression crossed her face, as she approached the window and pulled the heavy brown curtains to the side, only to be forced to squint against the sudden burst of sunlight. It was definitely not Saturday night anymore. Probably around noon, or afternoon… of Sunday? Monday? She had absolutely no idea. She had completely lost track of time.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself, and started walking towards the door. Stefan was bound to know she was awake, and he definitely wouldn't be happy over her passing out for at least half a day. And she dreaded to find out how he had chosen to spend his time. Jeremy's and Caroline's pale faces flashed to her mind as she fought back her tears. She had to try again. She had to persuade Stefan to let them walk away unharmed, regardless of what that would mean for her own wellness.

Her heartbeat sped up as she descended the stairs, and the first sounds reached her ears. There was Stefan's voice, murmuring in that dark, detached tone. And every now and then there was a slapping sound, followed by faint whimpers. Things weren't good. They were _nowhere_ near good.

But this mere realization couldn't have prepared her for what she came face to face with when she rounded the corner and entered the living room. The first thing she noticed was that Matt's lifeless body was still hanging from the ceiling, now emitting a not so pleasant odor. Then, _that_ sound came again, and she gasped as she was finally able to locate it. Stefan was standing near her now conscious brother, a heavy and dangerous looking whip nestled in his right hand.

"'Lena, what are you doing here?" Jeremy whispered, clearly struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Aw, Jeremy," Elena cried out, walking closer to the pair.

"Hello, Elena," Stefan greeted her chirpily, accompanying his words with another blow on Jeremy's bare back.

"Stop it, Stefan!" she begged, and he struck again.

"Please, stop it. I will do whatever you want me to do."

"Now we're talking!" Stefan exclaimed excitedly, the torturous tool dropping on the floor, and a sigh of relief falling from her lips.

"Elena, you need to get out of here," Jeremy pleaded with her.

"I can't, Jeremy. We are stuck in here."

"Well, try!"

"She already did try, Jeremy," Stefan intervened "it didn't turn out well for you, did it, Elena?"

"No," she mumbled, her eyes finding Caroline's across the room. There was sympathy in the blonde's gaze, and Elena felt anger rising within her. They shouldn't be feeling sorry for her. _She _was the reason they were in this place. She was nearly as to blame as Stefan.

"And what is the lesson you learned?"

"That I can't run away. I can't escape you. None of us can," she whispered, her head hanging low, perceiving the full meaning of her admission.

"Bullshit, this is bullshit!" Jeremy barked out, annoyance coloring his voice. "You are not the coward sibling, Elena. That is me. So, stop it. Fight him, fight for yourself, Elena!"

Stefan chuckled as he rounded her brother's body. Her fingers curled inside her palms in fear.

"Such a naïve little boy…" Stefan whispered, a hint of awe in his voice.

"You are a dick!" Jeremy replied slowly, regretting it the next second, when a wild fire started burning in the monster's eyes, and he blurred to stand behind Elena. He wanted him away from his sister. Hell, he wanted him with a stake deep into his heart. But at this point, it seemed like a dream that would never come true. Fuck this situation. How did they find themselves in this mess?

"I am a dick… you know, Jeremy, this little statement of yours makes me want to prove to Elena all those ways I can think of to be a dick," Stefan growled, his arms circling Elena's waist, and roughly rubbing her barely covered centre.

Jeremy's stomach clenched as he watched the scene ahead of him, and the disgusted but resigned expression on his sister's face. He had to fucking do something.

"Then, again… making you have her first would be really interesting, wouldn't it?" he suggested with a sly grin on his blood stained lips, and shoving Elena so hard that she stumbled, and had to steady herself against her brother's injured body. A whimper escaped Jeremy as her fingers slipped inside his fresh back wounds, and she flinched, muttering a sorry, and pulling away from him.

"Come on, Jeremy… you can't tell me that you have never dreamt of this body withering under you... I have to tell you she is quite a screamer… you know what a turn on that is."

"Shut up!" Jeremy said lowly.

"These long legs around your waist, as you thrust deep into her pussy…"

"Seriously?" Caroline's taken aback shrieked echoed in the room, bringing Elena out of her trance.

"No!" she said firmly, taking a step towards Stefan, and shielding the fuming Jeremy's form in the process. "No, you are not going to do this. You can do whatever the hell you want with me, but you have to leave Jer and Caroline out of this."

Caroline swallowed audibly, following Stefan with her eyes. His smile had fallen from his lips, by the time he approached a coffee table that stood at the other side of the room, and picked something up. His playful mood was gone, that much she could tell.

"I find it amusing that you are under the impression this is something you can negotiate your way, through, Elena. No, actually I _used_ to find it amusing. Now it's gotten old and boring. And I don't do old, or boring."

He came at a halt at the centre of the room, eyeing the scared humans around him one after the other. He raised his arm in the air, revealing a knife in his hand, and making sure that the sun reflected on the blade, so that no one would miss it.

"I am going to say something, and I am going to say it once, so listen closely. This, this is my playground. I set the rules, I set the pace. I decide what happens and what doesn't happen. Don't think for a second that your pathetic little cries, or screams are going to change my mind. I like your fear, I like your despair. I feed on them. I will do anything, literally anything, to feel those emotions in the air, to taste them on the edge of my lips, and deep into my veins. You have all had your time to take a breath, thanks to someone momentarily screwing with my plan," he added in a raised voice and staring at the door leading to the basement, where Bonnie and her father were, "but now it's time to play. And since we've had our first course," he pointed at Matt's corpse "now it's time to move onto the main meal." His gaze landed on Caroline, who let out a breathy chuckle.

"That doesn't sound very good for me."

"It sounds perfect for me, though," Stefan interrupted her. "Now," his gaze locked with Elena, his compulsion licking on the outside of her mind "you are going to do as I say."

"I am going to do as you say," Elena repeated, hating herself for doing so. But she couldn't resist. It was like something was pulling at her head, forcing her to believe that this was actually an excellent idea. She felt something being slipped into her palm… the knife, probably, but she couldn't look down to make sure. Stefan's hold onto her mind was too powerful.

"You are going to take this knife and stab Caroline's thigh."

"I am going to stab Caroline's thigh," she robotically repeated, as her eyes filled with tears. He wanted her to hurt her best friend, and if last night had taught her anything, it was that he wouldn't stop at merely hurting Caroline. Stefan would only be satisfied if he got Elena to kill with her own two hands Caroline. She wanted to stop it. She hated her body's actions. But it was pointless. She shifted to face Caroline, and her legs dragged her in her direction.

Caroline swallowed again, the sound reverberating in the eerily silent room, and Elena burst into a round of sobs as her hand raised on its own accord, the sharp point of the blade now aiming at the blonde's dress-covered leg.

"Fuck, no!" Jeremy cried out form the other side of the room "Elena you can't do this! Stop it!"

"I CAN'T!" Elena screamed in frustration, her arm lowering, and the knife cutting through Caroline's flesh. A loud shriek of agony now joined Elena's cries, but Stefan's steady voice was able to cover both.

"Again."

* * *

><p>"Bonnie," Maurice called quietly, turning his head to the side in order to focus his brown eyes on his daughter's almost identical ones.<p>

"Daddy! Daddy, how are you? Are you in pain? Do you need me to bring you something?" she asked, standing up from her previous position on the floor and leaning over the older man's lying form.

"Bonnie, what have you done?" he asked as Caroline's screams spread through the massive building. He could hear the pain in the girl's voice, how could Bonnie be so unaffected?

"What are you talking about, dad?" she swallowed "I am doing everything within my power to keep us alive."

"And what about them, sweetheart? Can't you see what they have to go through? Don't you want to help them? They are your friends, Bonnie. They have been by your side forever."

"No, they haven't, dad," she shook her head, her stare fixing on a random spot on the wall. She had never admitted this to anyone, it had always been stored into a private part of her mind. "Caroline has always been so caught up in her sparkly pink world to take anything I ever said to her seriously. And Elena is so used to being the centre of attention, that it's gotten annoying. Not everything is about her. I matter, too. And if they don't believe that, they can't be called my friends."

"What are you trying to do, exactly? Is this some kind of punishment, then? Your way of getting back at them?"

"No, no, that's not it," she replied slowly. "Under different circumstances, I wouldn't have acknowledged the issue, I wouldn't have brought it up. But Stefan practically put me in a position where I had to choose between you and them. And quite honestly, there's not really a decision to make. You are my family. I will always choose you. There is nothing that could change that."

"Baby, I am an old man," Maurice whispered smiling, and gently tracing the side of her face. "I have lived my life. I know that it's painful for you to think about that, but sooner than later we are bound to be separated. This is how life is. And I wouldn't want to keep on living, knowing that it is at the expense of three other, way shorter lives."

"But that is not life, dad, don't you get it?" Bonnie cried out in exasperation, making him wince. "This is not an accident, or an illness. This is a matter of choice. Stefan's choice, and mine. And since it's in my hand, you are not going to die today. I can't carry this in my conscience."

"And do you think that the weight of _their_ deaths on your soul will be easier to carry?" he pressed further, and for the first time there was a burst of sadness in her eyes. Not too much, but enough to reassure him that the sweet, kind girl he had raised was still in there.

"I tried to help, as much as I could without hurting you in the process. I bought Elena some time, and even that was a short call. I did help them, it's not my fault that no one grabbed the chance. If Damon," she spat the name "really wanted to, he had all the time to figure out a way to help them. I tried, okay? I tried."

"Bonnie you are making a mistake," he repeated.

"For choosing to help my father?"

"For misusing your power," he clarified "You are a witch, Bonnie, and it's not something to be taken lightly. With these abilities come certain responsibilities. A witch is supposed to help humans, she is their protector, the one assigned to keep the race going. It's not an easy job. Tough decisions need to be made. And above all else, a witch has to keep her head clear. She can't be blinded by her own emotions. She can't be selfish. She needs to be able to follow the right path."

"The right path is protecting your blood." Why was there not even a hint of doubt in her voice?

"No, Bonnie," he said, desperately struggling to force some sense into her. "The right path is to fulfill your role, to protect the humans. Not to help vampires kill them. There are three innocent people upstairs. Another one is already dead. I am only _one_, and I am much older than them. You have the power to save them, deep down you know how. Use that power, Bonnie. Do the right thing, make me proud. Save your friends."

Silence filled the small dark room, as father and daughter gazed deeply into each other's eyes. Her head hurt from all the thinking she was doing in that moment, and her heart raced at his pained expression.

She could see that he needed her to believe him, but she couldn't. She wasn't even going to attempt to do so. Before her was the man who had made sacrifice after sacrifice to make sure that she would have the best life possible. If her friends were the sacrifice _she_ would have to make to repay him, then so be it.

"I am very sorry that you can't understand why I am doing this, dad. but this is the right decision."

Maurice's head dropped as he watched his daughter leaving the room. He had failed after all. He hadn't been a good enough father. He thought he had been, but apparently somewhere down the road, he had messed up. Now these kids would die, and their blood would be on his hands.

"You are going to regret this, Bonnie." He whispered in the air, covering his face with his palms. "I just hope that it is not going to be too late when you do."

* * *

><p>"How do we know that she will even manage to break through Bonnie's spell?" Damon asked, doubt filling his eyes as he eyed the dark skinned witch, who was hunched over one of her magic cookbooks. Her name was Lacy. Or Lois. He honestly didn't remember. He honestly didn't care. All that mattered was that she was no Bennett witch, and therefore possibly weaker than Stefan's little weapon.<p>

"Because before we came here we went past the Boarding House," she explained calmly, looking not in the slightest offended. "And I got a feel of that witch's spell. The girl has undoubtedly a lot of power within her, but she is young. She hasn't been taught how to properly handle it. She is weak, and so is her spell."

"Did you honestly think that I would come with an impotent witch by my side, Damon?" Katherine asked from across Pearl's living room, and Damon's fingers twitched into his palms. He still couldn't believe that Katherine, Katherine-fucking-Pierce was lounging in a velvet armchair mere meters away from him. Her devilish eyes were narrowed, and she looked much more like a cat than anything else in that moment. Her lips were curled in an ever-lasting smirk, her manicured nails every now and then making contact with the fabric of her pants. She had an advantage over them. They needed her. She knew it. And Damon hated it.

"To be quite honest, I don't know what to expect from you anymore. Because I never thought you would turn out to be a nasty little bitch that would use anyone, including the people she is supposed to care about, to get what she wants."

"Fair enough," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders, and turning her attention to her old friend. "Pearl will you be joining us tonight?"

Pearl had been carefully watching Katherine since she appeared at their house, early that morning. She was trying to understand the reason of her return to Mystic Falls, a place where so many vampires wanted her dead. Could they really trust her? Last time they had done so, she had betrayed them; would she do the same, given the chance?

"I will be there for my daughter, yes," she answered, gripping Anna's hand. "But why are _you_ here, Katherine? What is your link to John Gilbert?"

Said man sifted in his seat uneasily. He wanted to save Jeremy and Elena, and every minute that went by lessened the chances of achieving that. And he would be lying, anyway, if he said that he felt comfortable surrounded by four vampires and a witch.

"My relationship with John is a boring story for another time. What I can tell you, is that I am here to offer my help. In return for something else," she added, standing up, and approaching the bookshelves against the wall.

"And the selfish bitch is back," Damon muttered under his breath, as he sipped his bourbon.

"I do what I do in order to survive, Damon." Katherine clarified surprisingly gently, picking up a copy of Wuthering Heights in her hands "If you want to call it selfishness, go ahead. I call it looking out for me."

"What do you want, Katherine?" Anna intervened. She could resolve her issues with Damon another time, in another place. Not when Jeremy could be dying.

"I want Jonathan Gilbert's invention," Katherine said simply, snapping the book closed.

"Why is it so precious to you?" Damon questioned, his curiosity picked "first you send John into town to search for it, and when he fails you come by yourself? What's so important about it? What does it do?"

"That is none of your business, Damon," Katherine replied sharply "I can help you get into the Boarding House, as long as I get the device. This is the deal. It's nonnegotiable. You either take it, or leave it. So, do we have a deal?" She looked at Pearl. She was the one with the device. She was the one who would make the ultimate decision. Her eyebrow raised as the old friends stared at each other.

"Yes, Katherine, we have a deal. As soon as Jeremy and Elena are back to their home safe and sound, you have my word that the device will be yours." She wasn't entirely persuaded of Katherine's honesty. But she was indeed their only chance. To help Anna take Jeremy Gilbert back, they had to take a leap of faith.

"So, how do we do this?" John asked, relieved that the vampire matters were now out of the way, and they could focus on the actual situation.

* * *

><p>"For the love of God, please, stop this!" Caroline begged in an uncharacteristic growl, as Stefan burst out into booming laughter.<p>

"Come on, dude, you have had your fun, you have tortured them enough, now stop this." Jeremy said in an equally exhausted voice, as Elena's body visibly shook. His empty stomach was a mess from everything that had happened during the last hours, and his body hurt more with every passing second. He could barely stand on his feet by this point. And Elena looked like she was in shock. Her moves her jerky, her limbs trembling. But not once did her blows miss their target. Stefan's compulsion had been strong, all the many times he had made her injure Caroline.

Elena was one hundred percent sure she was going crazy. There was no doubt about it. There were two voices arguing in her head, two different, yet almost equally strong, ideas fighting against each other, struggling to win over the other. Droplets of sweat had been forming over her eyebrows during the last minutes, as she kept trying to regain control of herself. Or rather, unsuccessfully attempting to do so. Until now, she had managed to do nothing. Every single time Stefan ordered so, Elena's arm had lowered itself with surprising skill and strength, and the blade had torn through her friend's flesh. She couldn't look into Caroline's eyes. She just couldn't, it hurt too much. But she heard her screams every single time, she felt her body jolting away, she sensed her labored breath against her own skin.

"You are over-thinking this, Elena," Stefan sighed "see how easy it is for me to inflict pain on your brother."

She bit down on her lower lip when the back of his hand met with Jeremy's cheek.

"Now, do the same to Caroline," he ordered in that low voice that left no room for discussion.

"God, please, help me," Elena prayed, doing something she had always believed only crazy people would do. But she was crazy, now, too. So, it didn't really matter. The fingers of her left hand locked around the opposite wrist, pushing the entire arm back towards her stomach. "I can't do this, I don't want to do this. This is Caroline, I can't hurt her," she kept muttering to herself, feeling her head nearly cracking in half from the pressure.

Stefan cocked his head to the side as he quickly approached Elena, with a curious expression on his face.

"You are trying to push me out of your head," he whispered wickedly, watching Elena's tightly closed eyes. "Interesting… let's see… Elena, I want you to punch me as hard as you can."

For a split second Elena froze, both her mind and her body utterly confused. But then Stefan's compulsion sank in, and along with the anger she had been feeling towards him fueled her next action. Her right arm shot out fast, and the sound of her knuckles meeting with his jaw resounded in the room. She couldn't believe the satisfaction that ran through her, it was even stronger than the buzzing sensation the hard blow had brought on her hand.

What Elena couldn't understand, but Stefan was about to take full advantage of, was the fact that she had lost her focus. Her small 'victory' had distracted her, and when Stefan murmured his next order, she didn't even hesitate before carrying it out.

"Now do the same to Caroline."

Caroline's head flicked to the other side from the force, and she groaned in pain.

"Damn, you know how to throw a punch, Elena," she mumbled almost incoherently, as dark spots appeared on her vision.

"Damn it," Elena cursed under her breath, glaring at Stefan, who smiled in response.

"Now that we have made it clear that you are in no position to overcome my compulsion," he said, taking steps backwards until he was comfortably sitting in the sofa, only a few feet away from her "I want you, Elena, to drive that knife through Caroline's heart and kill her."

"No," Elena whimpered, her fingers tightening around the handle, and her teeth locking together as her mental battle began all over again.

"Elena, look at me," Caroline whispered, but she shook her head. If she tried to think about anything else, she would lose control again, she would succumb to the compulsion.

"Elena, I said look at me, please…" the desperation in her tone changed Elena's mind. Her eyes fixed at her, and at the same time her arm started ever so slowly rising.

From his corner, Stefan leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his hands together. Jeremy could feel tears pooling in his eyes for the first time after his parents' funeral.

"It's okay, Elena," Caroline said almost inaudibly "this is not your fault, I understand. Just please, get it over with. I can't take it anymore."

"No," Elena cried, her vision blurring, her left hand ineffectively trying to hold back the knife. She couldn't win. She wasn't strong enough, she couldn't…

"Yes, Elena, please. Just do it, and remember I…" Caroline's mouth dropped in a silent scream as Elena pushed the knife though her skin and deep into her flesh.

No one moved.

Elena's eyes were glued on Caroline's terrified ones, as the blonde took deep strained breaths.

"Remember I love you," she eventually whispered with the last energy she had, and letting out a heavy sigh, her head fell on her chest. The world around her dimmed to complete darkness, the sounds drowned until Elena's sorrowful cries were nothing but a distant echo. And then… nothing.

Stefan smiled at the beautiful scene. The magnitude of what Elena had just done was beginning to register, and from what he could tell, she was about to have a full melt down. It was extremely entertaining to witness, and his fangs pushed down his gums impatiently.

Suddenly, the entire house shook violently, unnaturally, threateningly. Stefan leapt out of the sofa, and scanned the room trying to place the source. His eyes narrowed as his vampire senses picked up the scent of his brother, and Anna, and of a blood richer, sweater.

"It's a witch," Bonnie confirmed, as she rushed into the living room, moments before the windows broke loudly, pieces of glass flying everywhere.

"She is trying to bring down the barrier. She is fighting my spell," she explained as the house shook harder.

"And she is damn sure going to succeed," Anna's voice came from the other side of the now non-existent window, her eyes angrily staring at Stefan who instinctively took a step back.

"Anna," Jeremy breathed in relief, and she quickly glanced at him. A small smile formed on her lips, reassuring him that everything would be okay.

In the background, Elena wailed as she sank to the floor, her arms wrapping around Caroline's limp legs, completely oblivious to the chaos taking place around her. She had killed her friend. Her sweet best friend.

"Fight her, Bonnie," Stefan ordered, his hands running through his hair. This was all wrong. This shouldn't be happening.

"Bonnie don't do it," Damon warned, experimentally pushing against the already weakening barrier.

It was his voice and his eyes. The voice and the eyes of the man who was more responsible than anyone else about her grandmother's death, that helped her decide. Her eyelids closed, and words that nobody else could understand started flowing out of her mouth. She was struggling to keep the barrier up.

Stefan looked around panicked. He had to come up with a new plan. If the spell broke, he wouldn't be able to fight both against Anna and Damon. Elena's loud cries grabbed his attention, and before anyone could utter a word, he had picked her up from the ground. Her back was tightly pressed against his chest, and her arms were flailing around as she struggled to get free.

"Stefan, let her go," Damon growled, his heart nearly breaking in two from the anguished sounds coming out of Elena's throat. She looked terrible, and he could only imagine how even worse she felt.

"Tell your witch to stop, or I am snapping her neck," Stefan barked in response, his hands moving to wrap around her neck.

"You are not going to do it," Anna said coldly, and Stefan laughed loudly.

"Wanna bet on that?"

"Just give him what he wants, so that he will let Elena go!" Jeremy begged, his heartbeat skyrocketing.

Damon's eyes flickered to the Bennett witch. She looked pale, and there was blood trickling down her nose. Her back was turned towards Stefan, though, so _he_ didn't know. He didn't know that their witch was overpowering his. He didn't know that Pearl and Katherine were in the backyard, ready to lunge at him the moment the spell broke.

"I am going to count to three. One."

Elena no longer understood what was going on around her. The last thing she remembered was her hand pushing a knife into Caroline's chest. After that everything was hazy. But right then, there was something causing her uneasiness, something blocking her air supply, and she wanted it gone. She wanted it gone, so that she could scream, and cry, and pull at her hair, because she had killed her. So, she kept fighting, she kept fighting against the unknown enemy, even as his hold on her tightened, causing her lungs to burn, and her vision to turn hazy.

"Two," Stefan's face sifted in preparation for what was about to come. His plan was simple. After he broke Elena's neck, he would run from the house. Hopefully, stupid lovesick Anna would stay with her human lover, and only Damon would chase him. But this time, his brother wouldn't be able to toss him around like a sack of potatoes. No. Now he was full of human blood. Pints and pints of human blood. This time, _he_ would be the strong brother. This time _he _would be the best vampire.

"Three."

"Take your hands off her," a painfully familiar voice called from somewhere around the house, and the next thing he knew, Elena was pulled away from his grasp and he was pushed on the ground face down, so that he couldn't see his captor. He struggled, he hissed, he tightened all the muscles of his body, but to no avail. Whoever held him was way stronger than himself.

Anna was almost as fast as Katherine in realizing that the barrier was down, and in no time at all she was biting at her wrist and offering her powerful blood to Jeremy.

Damon didn't hesitate either, as he ran inside, and with a satisfied smile on his lips blurred to stand in front of Bonnie.

She was paralyzed by fear as the angry vampire glared down at her. She knew that this was it. These were her last seconds. Yet, she didn't regret anything. She only hoped that her father would be fine.

Bonnie's eyes were wide and teary as she looked up at him, and in the blink of an eye, Damon had snapped her neck like a twig, and her dead body was dropping on the ground with a thud that sounded like the finest music to his ears. His gaze then moved to Elena's frenzied form, who was curled in a corner, sobbing, and hugging her body with her arms.

Damon kneeled in front of her, wincing when she pulled away from him. He had never seen her so scared, so lost, so out of it. And he never wanted to again. With a sigh, he looked into her eyes, sending her all the calmness he could, until she stopped crying, and blinked at him confused.

"Elena, can you tell me who I am?" he whispered, and she nodded once.

"You are Damon," she replied in a hoarse voice.

"Okay, Elena, I am here to help you, all right?" she nodded again. "I need to get you home, but I promise I will not hurt you. Okay? Do you trust me to do that?"

"Yes, I trust you," Elena murmured, as the world around her slowly started making sense again.

She scrunched her nose when Damon wrapped his leather jacket around her body, rubbing her still hurting wounds in the process.

"I'm sorry," Damon said apologetically "I will pick you up now." He tried to be as gentle as possible with her injured body. Causing her even more pain was the last thing he wanted.

Elena slowly looked around, taking in Stefan struggling under the hold of two women, a brunette vampire helping Jeremy out of his restraints, and Caroline's and Matt's unmoving bodies. Her heart clenched from the grief, but this time she couldn't find it in her to panic. It was like something was holding her back. So, she did the only other thing she could think of. She gently laid her head against Damon's chest as he walked them out of the Boarding House, and closed her eyes, finally giving in to the exhaustion.

* * *

><p>"<em>The war is over." <em>

"_We have won."_

_But have you really won?_

_Because every war has casualties…_

_The question is… were the casualties worth the victory?_

_Will the living find the courage and strength to move on?_

_Or will the haunting memories of the dead break them in pieces?_

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, there again… I know you hate me right now, I know you do. I almost hate myself, too. But I had to tell a story, and I never promised it would be an easy or always happy one. Things had to happen this way. I am sorry.<strong>

**No, actually I am not sorry. :P**

**Anyway, I am INCREDIBLY conflicted on how to handle YCNBS after this chapter. There are three options:**

**a) the next chapter is the epilogue, and we will all say bye-bye to these characters.**

**b) the next chapter is the epilogue, but I write a sequel.**

**c) the next chapter is simply chapter 9, and I keep on writing.**

**I don't know what to do. Honestly, when I started writing YCNBS, I was planning to go with option a. **

**Since then, though, I have come up with a few ideas that will include some of the events of S2 of TVD.**

**And I have absolutely NO idea if a sequel or more chapters would be better.**

**If you have an opinion on the matter, do share it with me! **

**I will try to figure it out over the next days, while I will be working on ch. 9.**

**You can always follow me on twitter: ts_eirini**

**Reviews (or is the right term 'comments' now?) are very welcome!**

**P.S. A huge THANKS goes to Grace4Delena who was kind enough to make some time for me in her busy schedule and pre-read this chapter! Let me tell you that she hates me right now, too! *chuckles* and she was supposed to be my best-friend/soulmate! **

**BTW, You should all go read her amazing O/S 'Clicking Away From Pain'. I promise it's incredible, so.. show her your love!**

**Take care, you wonderful people, wherever you are!**


	9. The person standing next to you

**Huge thanks to Grace4Delena(fanfiction net ) aka Frickholic(twitter). She is the best friend and beta I could ask for. She helped me so much in this chapter with her Damon-expertise. She loves him, people! She gets him more than anybody else!**

**More ranting at the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

* * *

><p><em>Look what he's done to you.<em>

_It isn't fair._

_Those pictures in your mind._

_Keep you locked up inside your past._

_M.W.~ Broken girl_

* * *

><p>Elena could hear the soft thud of Damon's steps as he made his way into the Gilbert house. She opened her eyes a little, and John's pained face suddenly filled her vision. She closed them again, and buried her head back into Damon's shirt. Her forehead was pressed right on top of his heart, and its loud but steady beating against her skin felt nice, comforting.<p>

"How is she?" John asked in a gentle tone that she had honestly never heard him using before.

"How does she look?" Damon replied through gritted teeth.

"Bad."

"Well, she's worse," he muttered, already climbing up the stairs, not in the slightest interested in chit-chatting with John Gilbert.

"Wait, Damon! Where are you going?" John questioned, practically running to keep up with the vampire. "Elena needs help, and I don't trust that you will be good enough for that, or that you won't take advantage of her."

Elena felt Damon stopping dead on his tracks as he sucked in a deep breath. His chest widened as it filled with air, and his hold on her tightened a little.

"Listen to me, Gilbert," he all but growled, slightly turning so that he could glare at the human over his shoulder "when I found Elena, she was hysterical. It took me the longest five minutes of my life to make her snap out of her trance, and I will not have her slip back into that dark place, got it? I don't trust _anyone _else to give her as much care as she needs right now, so save the lecture about protecting her virtue for another time, okay? It's obvious that _she _trusts me, and anyway, I am a vampire, not a cracked up maniac."

Having said that, Damon blurred to Elena's bedroom, closing the door with his foot. He glanced down at the girl in his arms, and his mouth fell open when he found her staring up at him. He hadn't realized she had been conscious.

"Sorry I woke you up," he whispered, ever so gently putting her down on the mattress. He rearranged the pillows, so that she wasn't completely flat, and straightened his back. He spotted the wardrobe across from the bed…_she is going to need fresh clothes._

A small hand grabbed his jean-clad thigh and he looked down surprised. Sure enough, Elena was clutching at him, and when their eyes met, she swallowed hard.

"Don't go," she breathed softly, his image now hazy through her tears.

"I am not going anywhere," Damon promised, kneeling beside her, and grabbing her hand. Her wide eyes were fixed on him, and his heart swell with emotion. It seemed like she believed _he_ held all of the answers, all of the solutions. And in that moment, he decided he wanted to be that man. The man that she could trust, the man that she could always count on. But he also dreaded the day when he would fail her. Because he would, eventually.

Elena focused on the simple task of breathing in and out as Damon's thumb stroked her knuckles. His presence had a calming effect on her, she refused to let him go. There was a dark hole in the back of her mind, one that threatened to swallow her the second she let go of her board of sanity. Her board of sanity that was none other than the beautiful man before her.

"Elena, I want to help you," his voice broke her train of thoughts "I know you are in pain, and the fastest way to get rid of it is if you let me heal you." He hadn't said the actual word, he had merely implied it. _Blood_.

Her eyelids closed tightly, and images flashed behind them, images that would be forever etched into her memory. _Matt, his terrified eyes when Stefan's arm went through him, his heart landing next to her, Caroline's screams, Jeremy's whimpers, her own tears, Stefan's face, Stefan's teeth, Stefan's hands, Stefan's laughter..._ It was echoing_ inside_ her mind, and her hands were twitching. She desperately wanted to clutch at her head, pull at her messy hair, as if that would help her forget. Instead, she took a deep breath, willing her frenzied heartbeat to slow down, and slowly nodded.

"Okay." Elena whispered, staring up at him with so much trust that he felt dizzy for a moment. Making sure not to break eye contact, he rolled up his right sleeve, and bit down on the inside of his wrist.

The jacket dropped from her shoulders, when Elena leaned closer to him, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from screaming in pain. It felt like every inch of her body had been abused, she was sore all over.

"Here," Damon's voice was barely a whisper, as he extended his arm towards her. She was grateful that he didn't just shove it against her mouth. She wet her lips, hesitating for a few seconds, and Damon nodded reassuringly. Her fingers trembling, she gently wrapped them around his wrist, taken aback by how warm his skin was. _Just do it, Elena_, she thought to herself, and experimentally ran her tongue over the gash that his sharp teeth had created on his flesh. The blood didn't have that coppery taste that she was familiar with from the numerous paper cuts she'd gotten in her life. It was fresh, rich, full of energy. She could almost sense the few drops she'd drank running through her veins, all the way up to her brain. There were no doubts anymore. Clarity had replaced the big grey cloud of confusion, of uncertainty. If she knew one thing, it was that she _needed_ Damon's blood. It was the only thing that could help her get back to her feet. The only thing that could help her get over all that she had gone through.

Damon gritted his teeth as Elena squeezed his hand, and finally started hungrily sipping at his blood. She was drinking fast, sounds that she probably didn't acknowledge coming out of her mouth. He tried to focus on her injuries that were one by one fading away from her body. He felt satisfied that he was playing such a crucial part in her healing process, even though he wished she hadn't been in need of it.

"Okay, that's enough," Damon said suddenly, and Elena gasped as his hand slipped away from her grasp. She was out of breath, like she had been running for an hour, and she felt ready to conquer the world. She dragged her body to the side of the bed, rising up and smiling when she didn't feel a single pain shooting through her. She had found it hard to believe that she'd actually feel like this again. Normal. _Your friends are dead because of you, how dare you forget that?_ She flinched at the stern voice in her mind, turning her head to the side to hide her expression from Damon. He was worried enough as it was. She shouldn't be adding more fuel to the fire.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked, standing next to her, but keeping his hands to himself. He wanted to hug her, to hold her close to his body and never let go. But it didn't matter what he wanted. He should be careful around her from now on. He should under no circumstances scare her.

"Yes, I am, thanks to you," she whispered "but I want to have a shower now. I'm all…" she glanced down at her form. Yes, the bite marks were gone, but the dried blood was still there. It looked like dark brown pieces of fabric were sewed onto her flesh. She shook her head.

"I will be here, when you come out."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>She had opted for long sweat pants and a baggy T-shirt. Showing off her body wasn't something she felt like doing in the moment. Not because Damon would be there, but because the idea of wearing shorts reminded her of how naked she had felt under Stefan's lustful gaze. She shuddered for a moment, before sifting her attention to her reflection on the mirror. To a stranger she would look like a normal teenager. No one could guess what had happened to her, what she had witnessed. But she… she would never forget. The pain, the despair, the guilt… They would always be there with her, for the rest of her life.<p>

Gathering as much confidence as she had left, she walked back into her bedroom. Like he had promised, Damon was there, even though she didn't remember that cuddling with her teddy was part of their deal. The bear's fluffy paw waved at her, and she chuckled, beyond amused at how far he would go to lift her spirits. A few days ago she wouldn't have imagined Damon and teddies in the same sentence.

She gingerly sat down on the bed, still not having perceived that her body was fully healed. She was deliberately moving slowly, preparing for the pangs of pain that would never come.

"How did you do it?" she asked, proud that her voice didn't break. "How did you save me?" Damon closed his eyes, and for a moment she wondered if maybe she hadn't spoken the words. Perhaps she had imagined her lips moving, it wouldn't be that weird if she had started going crazy.

"We don't have to talk about this right now, Elena. What matters is that you and Jeremy are both alive."

"Where is Jeremy, anyway?" she asked, mentally slapping herself for not thinking of him sooner. This was her brother, who'd suffered because of her.

"Anna took him at their house. Don't worry, she'll take good care of him."

"And where… where is Jenna? I didn't see her when you brought me home." Damon looked away.

"She's at Alaric's place. We thought that it would be best if she didn't have any involvement with all these."

"That is nice," she nodded "But I still want to know. I _need_ to understand."

Damon sighed, placed the teddy bear against the pillow next to him, and sat up straighter.

"Okay, then," he couldn't deny her anything. If that was what she felt would help her recover, then so be it. "Anna and Pearl, her mother, approached me last night. They told me about him holding the two of you at the Boarding house. That's how I found myself at the doorstep. After I left, I ran back to their house. We spent hours struggling to come up with a solution. But we needed a witch. And we couldn't find one."

"So, then what happened?" He stared a while at her expression. She didn't look vulnerable, or maybe she had managed to expertly hide it. However, he couldn't relax just, yet. He was certain that at some point Elena would have a breakdown, she had to have one. He could only imagine the mayhem of feelings inside her after everything that had transpired, and she would eventually have to let them out. He just promised to himself he would be there when that would happen. He would be there to offer her any sort of comfort she would request.

"So, then, John appeared."

"John?" there was a tone of incredulity in her voice. Not that he could blame her. They had all been shocked by that particular turn of events. "Yes, John. He had somehow figured out what was going on, and he brought help."

"A witch?"

"A witch, and… somebody else."

"Somebody else, who?" this time he hesitated for several moments. Was it really a good idea to let her in on the fact that her dead ringer was in town? "Damon," she reached out to touch his knee. His eyes followed the movement, her delicate fingers lightly settling over his jeans. "I think I have proven to everyone that I can handle bad news. And honestly… how bad could this be?"

"He brought Katherine with him."

She drew back her hand as if she'd been burned, and Damon mentally cursed himself. Why did he have to start listening to her _now_? He should have just skipped this part. Of course it would be too much for her.

"Katherine as in…" he nodded, and Elena gulped loudly.

"Why would he bring her? I get that he might have been interested in saving us, we're his family, but… Katherine? She doesn't even know us. And from what I've heard you all saying about her, she's not the kind of person who cares what happens to others."

"I don't know. I'm groping in the dark, just like you are. Her going all Mother Teresa on us got me thinking, too, but she wasn't exactly willing to explain her reasons. Shocker."

Elena frowned as she took in Damon's sour expression. It was hard to keep it in mind, but this was the man who'd spent over a century looking for, waiting to save Katherine. He had been in love with her.

"It must have been confusing for you," she breathed, and he looked up at her in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I am sure that you have several things to say to her, but given the circumstances you didn't have the chance to. Still, you had to work with her."

"When you put it that way…" he shrugged "I've always wished for five minutes alone with her in a room. You know… drinking vervain-spiked wine, and then taking a trip down memory lane to talk about the freak show that was our relationship... beating the crap out of each other. Or possibly, _me_ kicking her double-sided ass."

Sarcasm. Damon's constant friend, shield and weapon all together. It was good for her to know that some things hadn't changed. That some _people _hadn't changed.

"And the witch broke through Bonnie's spell," Elena asked, bringing back a safer topic, one that she could clinically approach, without her raging emotions interfering.

"That's right. Lucy is actually a strong witch, definitely a more experienced one than Bonnie. As soon as the shield was down, Anna went for Jeremy, I went for you, while Pearl and Katherine held him down."

"You can say his name, you know," she pointed out, brushing her hair out of her chest and behind her shoulder.

"I don't want to," Damon said in an almost terrifyingly calm voice. "It makes me picture his face, and if I do that I will leave you alone and go hunt him down."

"He's out there?" her heart sped up, for the first time that evening, and her fist tightened at the sheets.

"No," he shook his head. "He's not. Pearl called me while you were showering, and they have him at the basement. He's not going to hurt you, Elena. Or anybody else. I promise you that."

"Don't do that," she breathed so softly he barely heard her "don't make promises that have nothing to do with you. If he does anything, if Stefan does anything, it won't be your fault. Or anybody else's for that matter. He is the one that has to be blamed."

"It's not that simple," Damon protested, rubbing his face. "I wish it was, but it's not. Elena," he grabbed her hand without thinking, it was an instinctive move. She didn't recoil from him, she didn't show any signs of discomfort. Instead, she squeezed his hand back, reassuringly. "Elena, I was so angry at you. And I let it affect me."

"Don't do that."

"It's my fault, Elena, don't you see? I should have figured out what Stefan was up to, or I should have at least kept you away from him."

"Damon, stop this madness," Elena begged him "it's not your fault. I pushed you away, I told you I didn't want your help, I was horrible to you. I don't blame you for what happened. I blame Stefan, and my own stupidity."

"You're not stupid." There was so much conviction in his voice. But no amount of conviction could change her mind on that matter.

"Yes, I am. And because of me, Caroline and Matt… are gone."

Sadness filled him. There was no point in trying to persuade her otherwise, at least not yet, and he hated it.

"I want you to go get them out of that place," she said, tears slowly starting to build in her eyes. "They deserve a proper funeral, although I have no idea how we're going to explain their d-"

"We will come up with something," he promised, and she nodded.

"I want you to go now. I can't bear the idea of them just being there any longer…"

"Elena, I don't think leaving you alone is the best idea right now." She couldn't help but smile at his protectiveness.

"John is here, if I need anything. And I would like to talk to him, anyway. I don't want you keeping back from your own life because of what happened to me."

"Elena," he spoke her name firmly, grabbing her attention instantly "there is no other place I'd rather be. I am not being here out of the kindness of my dead heart. I'm here because I need to be. And I'm just not leaving you alone. Okay? Are we clear?" She chuckled, even though her heart broke at his words. She didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve his kindness after she had treated him so poorly.

"Crystal."

"Okay, then," he stood up carefully, so as not to disturb her. "If you're sure you don't need anything from me, I'll head at the Boarding house." She nodded. "I will have my phone on me at all times, so, call if you need anything."

"Thank you, Damon, for everything," she murmured "and I know that I say it a lot, but I really mean it." He smiled.

"I will be back later."

And with that, he was gone, leaving Elena alone in her bedroom, as the tears she'd been trying to hold back for his shake, came rushing down her cheeks.

* * *

><p><em>Fingers. They were running over her skin, leaving a burning trail of fear behind them and his laughter echoed in the big house. She struggled, she kicked, and pushed, but he was always there. Always holding her tight, always staring down at her with that amused and cold expression on his face.<em>

She shot up on the bed, the sheets tangled between her legs, beads of sweat making their way down the sides of her face. Elena gasped for breath, moaning in distress when she couldn't get her body freed. The door to her bedroom snapped open, making her movements seize and her eyes focus on the figure standing there.

"Elena…" She vaguely recognized the voice. Something in the corner of her mind shifted as he looked at her worriedly. But she didn't have the strength to push through the confusing daze. There was only one coherent thought in her head at the moment, one perfectly detailed image, one name.

"Damon. I want Damon," she whispered urgently, and John nodded silently, his hands already searching into his pocket for his phone, his mind refusing to process the fact that he was letting a vampire he hated help his abused daughter.

Elena pushed herself closer to the head of the bed, the covers following her like a twisted spider web. She did feel trapped. Like the helpless little bug that knows is going to become some spider's next meal. She had tried to be brave, she had tried to appear fine. She hoped that maybe she would even persuade herself, that she wouldn't be left completely traumatized after this horrible weekend. She couldn't have been any more wrong.

Her chest constricted tightly, pressing at her heart, crushing her lungs, and she chocked, grabbing a second pillow, and hugging it between her arms. She poured all of her fear, all of her sorrow on that pillow, her nails digging into its fine surface, until a faint tearing sound reached her ears. She kept applying pressure, and soon she could sense warm cotton tickling the skin up to her knuckles.

"What the hell did you do?" Damon growled quietly, blurring to stand next to John. He was observing Elena wordlessly, his lips drawn into a thin line, his fingers tightened into white fists.

"Nothing. She was… she was probably having a nightmare. I.. didn't know what to do, and she asked for you."

Damon inhaled through his nose, and tried to calm down. He stared at the girl a few feet away from him. She was so caught up in her own thoughts, and emotions that she had failed to notice his arrival. It was still dark inside the room, only the light from a small lamp on her desk barely illuminated her face, but it was enough. He could see her tears, he could see her terror, he could hear the frantic beating of her heart.

"Damon," there was a begging tone in the way she spoke his name.

"I'm right here, Elena," he replied, keeping his voice relatively slow so as not to startle her. She looked up at him instantly, a quiet sigh escaping her mouth, a flash of calm crossing her eyes. Her gaze flickered to John who coughed awkwardly and took a step back.

"I will be in the guest room," he whispered before closing the door and leaving them alone.

Damon approached the bed carefully, sitting down on its edge, his hands resting between his thighs, his neck craned so that he was facing her.

"How are you feeling?" Elena moved her fingers through the wool relentlessly as she bit down on her lower lip.

"Scared," she finally breathed. "I saw him in my sleep… I could feel his touch, I could… I could feel his teeth sinking into me, I…" her eyes welled with tears, and she closed them firmly.

Damon was aware of his chin trembling as he witnessed Elena's breakdown. He had supposedly been prepared for this, he knew it was normal. She was going to feel fear, and anger, and maybe even guilt. She had to find an outlet for her emotions, otherwise she would shatter in pieces. But nothing could have prepared him for this painful scene.

He didn't think; if he had actually taken a few moments to consider what he was doing, he would have never laid his hand on top of her bent knee. His eyes widened in horror when her entire body tensed under his touch. They were both holding their breaths, he could have practically been able to hear a needle dropping on the floor. Ever so slowly he started retracting his arm, mentally berating himself with the most colorful terms he'd picked up over the years.

It was his turn to go all rigid when she grabbed his retreating hand with her own. Their eyes locked, similar expressions of uncertainty in them. She delicately placed his hand back in place, their fingers interlocking.

When fresh tears started traveling down her cheeks, Damon could almost feel her distress slipping inside his body through their connected hands, relieving her aching heart. They didn't talk, they merely sat across each other, Elena silently crying, and Damon literally being there for her. And that was all she needed, really. Nothing more. Nothing less.

* * *

><p>Her stomach had already been growling for about an hour, when she found the courage to wipe her face and stand from the bed.<p>

"I need to go eat something." Damon coughed, and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"There is something I have to tell you…" he murmured, making her grab the edges of her shirt and tighten her fingers around the thin material.

"That doesn't sound good." Damon shrugged his shoulders, searching for the best way to deliver the news.

"When I went at the Boarding House, I found your friend's, Matt's body," he started, nervously twisting his daylight right around his middle finger. "But instead of Caroline, I found Katherine waiting for me."

Elena's head shot back in surprise.

"What do you mean? Wh-… where is Caroline?" She didn't know what to think anymore.

"Caroline isn't dead, Elena," Damon stated, going for the bandage technique. She opened and closed her mouth for a few times, obviously at a loss for words.

"I killed her, Damon," she eventually whispered, head hanging low, eyes fixed on the wooden floor. She could vividly remember every single time she had thrust that knife into Caroline's smooth skin.

"No, you didn't," he shook his head "she was _unconscious_ when we got there, almost dead, but not dead, yet. Katherine fed Caroline her blood."

"She did, what?" Elena screamed, her hand covering her forehead as the room around her suddenly blurred.

"She was too badly injured for the blood to heal her, so instead… it put her into transition." Elena's jaw dropped.

"Caroline is a vampire?" she couldn't wrap her mind around it. She didn't know how she felt about this turn of events. She hated that Caroline could have died under these circumstances, at this age, by her hand. But this… what if she didn't like it? What if she didn't want to live forever as a vampire?

"She's in transition," Damon stressed, bringing her back to reality "which means than when she wakes up, she will have to make a decision. But this is a good thing, Elena," he slowly stood up, standing in front of her, and catching her gaze. "It means you don't have to feel guilty. It means that she gets a second chance, and she can use it, she can decide on her own what to do."

Elena walked around him towards the door, her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

"I get that it's a good thing, but it's… it's too much right now. I just need to have some dinner, and go back to bed, before I can properly process this."

Damon nodded, realizing that she had reached her limit. He had pushed too far.

"Okay, do you want me to wait here for you?" This time she turned to look at him, openly staring at him as she regarded his suggestion. It was appealing, the prospect of having him by her side throughout the night to take care of her if she needed anything. It felt good when he helped her, she was certain he liked it, too. But deep down, she knew that at some point she would have to start standing on her own two feet. She appreciated everything Damon was doing for her, but she should learn to depend on herself again.

"Thank you, but I think I'll be all right. I'll call if things get out of control."

He was stuck somewhere in between disappointment and hope. So, he just nodded, and smiled softly.

With a gust of air, he had disappeared from the room, the window closing gently behind him. Elena took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom. She could hear the faint murmur from the television in the living room playing, and someone was moving around in the kitchen. She hurriedly switched on the lights of the corridor, not wanting her journey downstairs to be filled with darkness and ominous shadows. It turned out to be easier than what she had expected, and putting one foot in front of the other, she quickly found herself standing outside the arc leading to the kitchen. John was in there, his back turned in her direction, using a long wooden spoon to stir the ingredients of something that was boiling in the kettle. She inhaled deeply, her nostrils flaring, and her stomach emitting another hungry groan at the unmistakable and promising aroma of chicken and potatoes.

Instinctively crossing her arms over her chest, she cleared her throat, loud enough to get John's attention. He gazed at her over his shoulder, smiling gently.

"I made some soup," he explained, pointing at the pot in front of him, and turning off the heat. "It's not exactly a gourmet plate, but it's cold outside, and I figured you would want something to eat before going to bed."

"Thank you," Elena whispered in response, and John hesitated for a few moments. Her face was controlled, exhibiting no emotions to make her look vulnerable. But her body language was a completely different story. He had to be careful. As much as he hated to admit it, Damon was right when he had said that they would need to treat her cautiously, so as not to scare her.

"Do you want me to fill a bowl for you? I was going to eat now, anyway…" he trailed, frowning at the cabinets.

"Third to your right," she offered helpfully.

Elena gingerly sat down on one of the stools, observing John as he prepared their meal. He was focused on his work, his gaze never once falling on her, even though she had the feeling that he was watching her from the corner of his eyes. It wasn't creepy, only slightly uncomfortable. She had never really liked him. He was judgmental, and frankly an ass. Now, she couldn't help but have a certain amount of gratefulness for him. It was very probable, that if it weren't for him, she would still be suffering in Stefan's arms.

"Thank you," she broke the silence, making him freeze mid-step. He was carrying a plate on each hand, and for a moment they wavered, before he regained control of his muscles. John tried to force all of his love for her into his eyes as he smiled at her, and set the steaming bowl in front of her.

"It's okay, I needed dinner as well, anyway." She shook her head.

"No, I meant…" she trapped the silver spoon between her fingers and toyed with it absentmindedly "thank you for bringing Katherine and that witch here." Their gazes locked and Elena was pretty certain this was the longest she had ever stared at him continuously. She hadn't noticed before, but there were tiny wrinkles forming around his eyes, and the locks resting against his temples were slowly starting to turn a shade of gray. "Damon told me what happened. I don't understand how or why you managed to get into touch with them, but I appreciate it. So, thank you."

"You're family, Elena," John whispered, struggling to keep his emotions in check. This was not the right time to reveal to her exactly how close of a family the two of them were. "You and Jeremy both are. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you."

* * *

><p><em>They say the beginning is the most important part of the work.<em>

_But when you've been abused, when your body and soul have been violated to the point you feel nothing but vulnerability and __endless pain….._

_In that case, the most important part is the person who is standing next to you. _

_The person who wants and will be there to hold your hand, to help you stand up, to remind you of who you really are._

* * *

><p><strong>First things first!<strong>

**Guys, did you _seriously_ believe that I would kill Caroline? Uhah. I love this girl. She brightens my stories, my life! She's light personified! **

**Now… this chapter focused on Elena, her first hours after she's back home, _safe_. I'll be honest with you. I've never written anything similar before. Elena was abused. She was ripped of her free will. She did kill her best friend. She can't just pounce back to her everyday life as if nothing happened. She won't feel so vulnerable for ever, but for a while, we'll follow her recovery. She'll get there, don't worry. She's a strong girl, and she has an even stronger person by her side. Damon. **

**I am aware that the Bonnie-issue wasn't addressed, but I don't believe Elena is ready to face that, yet. In the next chapter, we'll get to see how she feels about Bonnie's choice and death, about the whole Caroline thing, and about Stefan. **

**So, that's all for now! I am not sure when the next update will be. My schedule is kinda full at the moment. I'm struggling to study, regardless of the high temperature (is it winter, yet?), and I'm also working on two other stories. I'm finding my way back to LTLA, and I've started a new, AH, mystery story. That one won't be uploaded any time soon, though. I feel very self conscious about it! **

**So, you beautiful readers! Thank you for reading, and hopefully reviewing! Find me on twitter, for TVD rambling, or general discussion. I'm: ts_eirini**

**P.S. Does anyone else feel like she can't wait any longer for the season 4 premiere, or is it just me?**


	10. Survival

**Hi, there!**

**I am back from my holidays, and unfortunately into studying mode once again. However, this chapter basically wrote itself, so.. here it is! **

**I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to.**

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><p><em>It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.<em>

* * *

><p>Elena and John were finishing their dinner when the front door of the house opened, making them exchange worried looks. John was quick to get out of his seat, and within seconds, a scary looking knife was nestled into his right hand, and he was motioning for Elena to move away. She obeyed without second though, her arms reaching behind her to grip at the counter, her eyes following John's body as he approached the door of the kitchen with steady and silent strides. Her heart was racing wildly within her chest, her brain failing to comprehend that they were once again in danger.<p>

Three loud gasps sounded in the room when Jeremy appeared at the doorstep, his arm extended to shield himself from John's knife.

"Jeremy?" John asked bewildered, lowering the deadly weapon, and inspecting his nephew's form. He looked healthy. A haunted look in his face, but alive, and standing on his own two feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Gee, it's good to see you, too, Uncle John," Jeremy said mockingly, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"I thought you were supposed to be staying at Anna's," John explained, shrugging his shoulders. He hadn't meant to sound cold, he was just taken aback.

"I was… I mean, I am… I just… I wanted to come see Elena," Jeremy whispered, and his words finally brought her back to reality.

Her heart-clenching fear had transformed into all consuming relief the moment she laid her eyes on her brother, and noticed that the ugly marks were no longer covering his skin. He was wearing clean clothes, and he looked like he had had a long bath, and an even longer sleep.

"Jeremy," she cried out, tears filling her eyes, as he smiled gently, and approached her, his arms open. She couldn't help but flinch a little at the feeling of someone's body enveloping her own, despite the fact that she knew she was safe.

Jeremy bit down on his lip, his chest rising and falling quicker than usual. She was fine. Despite everything she was alive.

"Elena, I am so sorry for everything," he breathed into her hair, and felt her shaking her head from side to side.

"_You_ are sorry?" she asked, tightening her hold on him. "I am the reason you were even in there."

"But I'm your brother," he countered back. "I should have found a way to take you out of there, instead of standing there like a useless dick and watching him torture you."

"Ssssh, it's over now, it's okay," Elena tried to soothe him. She was reminded of the day of her parent's funeral. That was the last time they had hugged each other, that was the last time they had even been that close. So much had changed since then, they had both grown up so much. But this, their bond, this hadn't been affected, and as long as it was in her power, it never would. With people outside your family, there is always a doubt, a tiny flicker of dread that maybe, just maybe a time will come when they will hurt you. But she knew one thing for sure. There was nothing that would ever lead her to risk Jeremy getting hurt. And she knew him well enough to know that he felt the same way.

"Let's sit down," she sniffed, taking a step back, and motioning towards the living room.

"Yeah, sure," Jeremy nodded, letting her lead the way. He waited until she was out of earshot before moving his attention to John.

"Hey, John… I...okay, here's the deal. I know we've had our differences, but Anna told me about your part in our rescue," John looked away. "I just wanted to thank you."

"I don't approve of what you have with Anna," John said stiffly, and Jeremy's expression instantly hardened.

"I never asked for your approval. You are not my parent, you don't get a say in who I spend my time with."

"Go talk to your sister. I'll clean up in here, and go to bed," the older man replied, not wanting to start a fight.

Elena sat down at the corner of one sofa, her knees drawn to herself, her fingers absentmindedly toying with the ends of her hair. She hadn't had the chance to give much thought to Jeremy. Damon had told her that he was safe, that Anna had it under control. At the time that had been enough. But now that she was calmer, she realized that Jeremy must be feeling as terrified as she was. They had been in there together, he had suffered great pain, and he had witnessed a murder. Him and Caroline would also have to face the world again, find a way to recover after this life-changing weekend. Instead of offering her consolation, the thought brought on guilt. Suffocating guilt.

"I can hear your brain working from over here," Jeremy broke her train of thoughts "or whatever exists inside your skull." Elena smiled against her better judgment.

"I would come see you," she whispered remorsefully, and he shrugged as he sat down on the coffee table, his elbows resting on his knees, his entire body turned in her direction. Under normal circumstances she would have scolded him, like her mother had taught her so many years ago. This used to be Miranda's favorite piece of furniture after all, for whatever reason.

"I get that getting out of this house is the last thing you want to do, Elena," Jeremy said honestly, because really, he felt exactly the same way. "Don't think it was any easier for me."

"Then, why did you rush it? You could have just given me a call, and we would have met when we were both ready."

Jeremy took a deep breath, one that put her immediately in a suspicious mode.

"I am a horrible brother for what I'm going to say right now, Elena, and I am so sorry…" his voice broke, and she leaned forward, hesitantly grabbing his hand.

"Talk to me, Jeremy. Tell me," she encouraged, and he squeezed her fingers for a moment.

"I need to get out of here, Elena," he murmured, standing up abruptly, her arm slipping to rest next to her feet. She nodded, even though she couldn't understand the sudden turmoil inside of him.

"Of course, Jeremy, go. We will talk later."

"No, you don't get it," he ran his hands through his brown hair, his head thrown back, and his eyes closed. He inhaled again, praying for strength that he definitely didn't have left inside of him. He was drained. Exhausted, and fed up. He felt lost, and powerless. "When I say out of here, I don't mean this house, Elena. I mean this town, Mystic Falls."

She jerked back shocked, her jaw dropped.

"Why? Where would you go?" she whispered slowly, unable to mask her pain.

"I can't be here. Everywhere I look I see pain. Everywhere I look I see mom and dad, I see Vicky, and now I see Stefan," he gazed at her apologetically. "I could deal with their absence, with the pain of their loss… but this? The fear? I can't live every day of my life like this. I need to see something different. I need to be somewhere else."

"So, you want to go? I don't know if I can come with you, and somehow I doubt Jenna would let you leave in the middle of the semester. She's cool, but not that cool." Jeremy sighed.

"I wasn't planning on asking her," he said gently, and Elena's eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Compulsion?"

"It's the best solution. She'll just know I am in Denver, to the house of those relatives we have there, that I want go to school there because of an art program and that I'll be safe. You two won't have to worry about me. I can recover on my own pace."

"But, Jeremy, I want to be there for you. I want to help you." He shook his head.

"What you should want to do is help yourself, Elena," he replied, sitting next to her, and staring lovingly into her eyes. He needed her to see that he wasn't abandoning her. "We have both been through a lot. We have a long way ahead of us. I just think it's best if one's progress doesn't affect the other's."

"I want you here," Elena confessed quietly, and Jeremy frowned.

"And I wish I could be here for you. But if I stay…. Elena, if I stay I am afraid it will be like it was after the accident all over again. I need to leave. There's no other way. Please, understand this."

Elena fought back down the lump that had formed on her throat as she nodded repeatedly. Stopping him would be wrong. She had taken his free will once, she had influenced his life because she thought she was doing the right thing. They had ended up even more estranged than they already were. She didn't want to get through that again.

"When are you leaving?" her voice was hoarse and her vision blurred with tears. But that didn't mean she couldn't see it on his face that he was greatly conflicted.

"Probably some time on Monday. Anna is making a few calls to find a house for us to stay, but it won't take long." She nodded. "Elena, we will be in touch, okay?" Jeremy stressed, his eyes wide, sincere. "I am not going to disappear. I am just taking a break."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. It's good for you."

* * *

><p>Elena inhaled deeply through her nose as she stared at her reflection on the mirror. Jeremy was leaving. Her immature younger brother wanted to go out of town with a girl, a vampire he had known for barely a few months. And there was nothing she could do, or say to change his mind. She wasn't even sure she wanted to. Was it good for him to stay in Mystic Falls? Who was supposed to protect him? Jenna? She had no idea how dangerous the world really was. Herself? Elena snorted as she turned off the lights and hurriedly made her way back to her room. She smiled adoringly at her fluffy blanket, wrapping it around her body, before sitting down on the bed, her legs crossed beneath her.<p>

She couldn't even protect her own self. She had a tendency to trust all the wrong people. Her lower jaw trembled as images of Stefan started making their way inside her head, but this time she didn't try to stop them. She let her tears run down the sides of her face, pause on the edge of her cheeks and then drop on her shirt, wetting it. She had cared for Stefan. Their relationship might have not been everything she had initially expected it to be, but what they had was nice, safe. She had thought Stefan was a person she could lean on, someone she would be friends with a few years down the road. How could she had fallen so out? She delved into her memories, she searched for any hints in his behavior that things were bad, that he wasn't who he was supposed to be. She found none. And that angered her. To her mind, there was no way Stefan could be such an amazing actor. The problem was her. She was the stupid one, she was the one with the bad judgment. If she had been wiser, more careful… if she had been less stubborn and maybe taken Damon's advice, then none of these tragedies would have happened. Caroline wouldn't be in transition right now. Matt wouldn't be dead, and Jeremy wouldn't be packing his stuff.

An image suddenly rushed behind her momentarily closed eyelids, and she gasped loudly. The memories of her last day in the boarding house were rather blurry. Stefan's compulsion had confused her mind, and she only remembered bits and pieces. Sometimes only a facial expression, a shriek of pain, a drop of blood as it made its way to the wooden floor. She knew everything had to be stored somewhere into her subconscious, and she dreaded the moment when everything would come back to her. She dreaded moments like this one.

She hadn't asked Damon about Bonnie. He hadn't looked particularly interested into revealing more information, and she hadn't pressed the issue. Now she knew why. As she watched on repeat his hands slipping around Bonnie's neck, the bones breaking with a powerful crack and her body collapsing on the floor.. she understood that so far her mind had been shielding her from the horror of witnessing another friend's murder. But why wasn't she feeling that horror? She waited, and waited, fully prepared for the pain to rip through her heart, for the sorrow to make her feel weak and little. None of it happened. None. Elena frowned in confusion as she put more effort than ever before in understanding what she felt and why.

She went a few hours back, when Bonnie had walked into Stefan's bedroom, and Elena had felt for a few moments relief running through her body. It didn't last long.

"I had no choice, Elena," were Bonnie's words. There was nothing she could have done, not a single action, using either her human, or her witch powers to save her friends.

"There is always a choice," Elena muttered under her breath. Even without putting much effort into it, she could think about a hundred things she could have done to avoid the Barding house mess. That was why she couldn't accept Bonnie's reasoning. Her not helping save them wasn't Bonnie's biggest mistake. No. The fact that she had helped Stefan with his plan was. Without her, without the barrier she had set up, Damon or Anna would have been able to get inside, take Stefan down, and them out. Without her, they would have all been alive and un-traumatized. For that… for that no, she couldn't forgive her.

Elena's train of thoughts was rudely interrupted by the sound of the window breaking open, and the curtain waving wildly in the cold wind. She gulped down her shock, hesitantly standing up and approaching the window carefully. Was she actually expecting someone to attack her the moment she was standing beside it? Whatever she had expected didn't happen, and she couldn't help but rest her head against the cold glass and let out a ragged breath. Her skin left a mark on the smooth surface, and for a moment she thought that maybe a cleaning spree would help her get her mind off everything. The corners of her mouth were almost turning upwards in a smile when she span around, and her heart jumped all the way up to her throat. Because she had believed that she was alone in the bedroom. Wrong. Because she had believed that Stefan was locked in the Salvatore cell. Wrong again.

* * *

><p>Damon had never exactly loved sleep. Especially after turning into a vampire, he considered it a necessary nuisance. So, the fact that he was losing his sleep wasn't the reason why he was pissed that night. He was pissed there was a beautiful girl inside that house who was blaming herself for things she had no control over. He didn't need to be one of the sparkly vampires in Caroline's idiotic book. He could practically hear the gears in her head spinning, spinning all together in the same direction, in the <em>wrong<em> direction. He didn't like that she was doing that to herself, but he didn't know how to put some sense into the girl. She had looked so delicate, so fragile earlier that night, and he was afraid he might do something to scare her, or say something to break her. His insides ached for some alcohol. Rich, expensive alcohol dripping down his throat and burning its way down his stomach. He would even like the company of his newest drink-buddy at this point. He would even let him punch him in the face again. He rubbed the side of his jaw instinctively. He could still feel the force of Alaric's blow. The man definitely knew how to throw a punch, especially considering he was human. He shook his head. No. He refused to leave Elena alone. He refused to let her down for the second time.

The buzzing of his phone caught his attention, and he fished it out of his pocket curiously. He didn't recognize the number, and with everything that had happened lately he couldn't help but hit the accept button, and hope that this wasn't somehow baby bro's plan, part 2.

"Katherine got Stefan," Anna's now familiar voice called through the line, and Damon's eyes widened considerably.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that she turned back to her bitchy self. She went all primal on my mom, unlocked the cell and disappeared with him." The moon was high in the sky, its glimmer faint due to the clouds that occupied the greatest part of the sky. The wind had picked up again, making his hair fly around his head as he was perched on the roof of the Gilbert house.

"Well, where did she go?" Damon requested as he stood up on his feet and gazed ahead into the forest. He couldn't make out anything, not even with his vampire super eyes, but that didn't mean they couldn't be out there.

"How am I supposed to know? There is no living, or un-living person that can get how her twisted brain works, I'm telling you!" Anna exclaimed in frustration, and there were several sounds in the background.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think I am doing? Locking up the house. I have no idea what they want, but I am sure as hell not going to let them hurt Mother, or Jeremy again. You should do the same."

"I am already playing neighborhood watch," Damon mumbled. These were the last coherent words he managed to utter. Everything that came out of his mouth afterwards was a combination of curses and groans of pain. He didn't get to see who jumped him, the sucker got him in the back, although he had a pretty good idea of who it was. He felt the sharp prickle of the needle as it went through the skin of the back of his neck. His body went limp, and he lost his balance, the wind slapping his flesh harshly as he dropped into thin air, which was by far more fun than the moment he hit the ground with a loud thump. He could faintly hear several bones of his body cracking, but his senses were overwhelmed by the disturbingly familiar sense of vervain spreading through his veins. He took a long, strained breath. The air felt stale in his mouth, his lungs not really able to function properly at the moment. Through his daze, he managed to pick up the sound of distinct conversations, and a frantic rhythmic beating that he would always be able to recognize. His mouth opened, his tongue moved. No sounds came out, but if someone had been looking at his lips, he would have been able to read one word. _Elena._

* * *

><p>Stefan was sitting on her bed, casually leaning on his forearms, a simple smile on his frozen expression. Her body shook as his eyes drank her in, slowly inspecting her long sweatpants and the baggy t-shirt. It wasn't her usual attire. She knew it, he knew it. He almost looked proud of himself, for making her change her habits, for ruining her life, for being a monster. She wasn't scared. This time there <em>really<em> wasn't a single thing he could do to make her feel worse. Whatever he did, her emotions would remain a flat line of sorrow and regret.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she spat angrily at him, her expression distorted in a grimace of pure hatred. Stefan shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Just passing by to see how you are doing. Is that an acceptable reason?" Elena scoffed at his forced kindness.

"No, it's not. Wherever you go, disaster follows. But between you and me, Stefan, there is nothing here left for you to crush between your fingers. You have taken people I loved from me. You have given a life's worth of nightmares to the rest of us. So, if you are here to kill me, I suggest you get it over with. Otherwise, get the hell out of my house."

Stefan's eyes sparkled as he stood up to his full height. Even through her angered state, she had the wisdom to take a step back. Not that there was much floor behind her to step up on.

"You should know by now that when I go out to kill, I do it with more style."

"Congratulations," she replied quickly, sarcasm colouring her voice "you are quite the artist, aren't you?"

"You are so young, Elena," Stefan whispered, blurring to her and delicately tracing the outline of her jaw. Elena's entire form clenched. She was ready to defend herself if she had to. "You don't understand how it feels, knowing that you will be young, and strong, and beautiful, forever. Contrarily to common belief, it can become quite boring at times, and that's when you have to pick something up to keep yourself entertained."

"You could have written a book instead of becoming a killer," she whispered. She was certain he had heard her, but for whatever reason he chose to ignore her, and reaching behind her, pulled the window back open. Her hair flew in a frenzy, and she wound her arms around her to protect against the biting chilliness that came with the wind.

"I need you to invite someone in for me," Stefan explained, or rather ordered, his expression hardening when she started shaking her head from side to side. "You know I can get very persuasive if I want to. Please, don't make me go there," he warned, but Elena was already retreating.

Her gaze was fixed in the darkness outside of the window frame. What evil lurked out there? She didn't have to wait long to find out, since this was apparently a particularly impatient evil. One moment the windowsill was empty, and the next one, a petite figure was sitting there. Long brown curls hid her face from sight, riding all the way down the middle of her back. Elena could also see a high heeled boot pressed against the edge of the window, at the end of a long leg. A long leg that she knew a little too well. She realized who the woman was, moments before she turned her head to the side, and the two pairs of perfectly identical eyes met for the first time.

"Hello, Elena," Katherine drawled, making her shudder. Elena wasn't aware her voice could sound so seductive, so mysterious and so dangerous.

"What is this, Stefan?" Elena requested, regaining her composure. "What game are you two trying to play?"

"Why? You wanna play with us?" Katherine asked excitedly, and Stefan rolled his eyes. There was no way Katherine could have known what a boring person to be around Elena was.

"No games," he piped in. "Just say the words, and we will be gone." Elena shook her head.

"I don't believe you."

"Clever girl," Katherine breathed, lightly running her fingers over the invisible barrier keeping her out of the room.

"Maybe you should carve that onto Damon's gravestone. I'm thinking something close to… Damon Salvatore. Beloved monster. He died because Elena Gilbert was too stubborn to say four little words." Elena's face noticeably paled at the mention of his name, and Stefan felt a pang of something deep inside his chest. He pushed it away.

"What are you talking about?" she looked around, this time desperately searching for a way out. "Where is Damon? What have you done to him?" she owed him her life, and Jeremy's and Caroline's. She wouldn't hesitate to save him back if he was indeed in danger. Whatever the cost.

"He's taking a nap in your backyard," Katherine replied calmly "a vervain induced one, of course. And you know how vampires get with vervain. It's like anaesthesia to us. I could push a big thick stake through his long dead heart and he wouldn't have the mind to move a single finger to stop me."

Elena's breath quickened at the purposefully poorly concealed threat. Her eyes were fixed on her evil twin, Stefan almost forgotten. That's why the words were out of her mouth before Katherine had even fully stood up.

"You can come in." Everything froze for a few seconds. Elena's chest heaved as realization sunk in. Katherine's little smirk made her look like a mischievous cat, and then, with the blink of an eye, said cat was standing impossibly close to her, head cocked to the side, eyes narrowed, but never once touching her. It was as if Katherine was studying her pray. Namely, her. Elena swallowed, and Stefan rubbed his hands together.

"Can we have a little fun, now?" he asked, walking towards them. From the corner of her eyes, Elena saw his arm raising, and between his body and Katherine's, she felt trapped. The room was suddenly too small, the air not enough, her heart beating a tad too fast.

Before he made contact with her skin, though, Katherine's hand shot out, and Stefan went flying down the floor. Elena sighed in relief, silently thanking Katherine, even though she had to have some kind of ulterior motive. Katherine removed her gaze from the human girl, and glared back at Stefan, who was still on the ground, looking too shocked to even consider moving.

"That wasn't a part of our deal, Stefan," she stressed strictly. "I got you out of the basement to help me get in here."

"You never said we were to keep her intact," Stefan protested. Katherine growled, and kneeled over him, pinning his arms on the floor. Tightly, judging from Stefan's grunts.

"You need to remember, Stefan. I turned you, so you will never be stronger than me, regardless of how many states you drain of blood. This is your best chance. You want to go against me? No problem. But I am handing you back to Pearl, and Damon, and something tells me that he won't be very happy to see you again. Actually, I think he might even want to kill you."

"Our mama is right, Stefie," Elena's head whirled so quickly, that the muscles of her neck all but screamed in protest. Damon had appeared through the window, his clothes torn, and muddy, but his body tense, his eyes alert and glinting dangerously. He was gone as abruptly as he had showed up, and for a moment Elena wondered if she had imagined him. It was only after Katherine had resumed her position next to her that she realized what was going on. She gazed around, struggling to follow the movements of the blur around her room. Even with her keen-for a human- eyesight, she couldn't see much. Every now and then, the Salvatore brothers would pause. Once, it was Stefan pushing Damon against the door of the wardrobe, which resulted in a deep crack on the wood. Next, it was Damon who slid Stefan on the surface of the desk, dropping all kinds of objects to the floor. She heard the sound of a photo frame shuttering, but she didn't look down. Her eyes were focused on the two vampires.

"Hello, brother," Stefan said cockily, and Damon hissed in anger, raising his brother by the collar of his shirt and banging his head against the desk.

"Don't steal my lines," he growled, landing a punch straight on to Stefan's nose. Elena didn't flinch at the crack that resounded in the room. She smiled. "Find your own god-damn ones." Elena's eyes widened as they moved again, but to her great horror, it was Stefan who had the upper hand, now. He kicked Damon, again and again, with unprecedented viciousness. Katherine leaned closer to whisper to Elena's ear.

"Don't worry, it's the motive that plays the greatest part in a fight." Elena raised an eyebrow in confusion, even though most of her attention was still on Damon. "If Damon cares about you as much as you do for him, he will put Stefan down in no time at all." Elena considered her words for a moment, as Damon ducked to avoid Stefan's punch, and managed to grab him from the back of his legs.

"I thought you wanted Stefan to be all right," Elena murmured, as Damon brought Stefan on the floor. The force of the knock left the younger one motionless for a few moments, long enough for Damon to jump on top of him, and start hitting every inch of his brother's body he had access to. Blood was oozing out of both of them, but it was clear who had the most injuries.

"Stefan is a big boy," Katherine eventually replied, watching the fight in front of her, with what could only be described as less than mild interest. "He should be able to take care of himself."

Elena was taking particular joy every time Damon's fist made contact with Stefan's body. She was mesmerized by the strength behind Damon's muscles, by the concentration and vile etched on his face. With every growl that escaped Stefan, with every drop of blood that left his body, a little of her own pain vanished. But even she was shocked when Damon sat up, and letting out a feral growl snapped one of the legs from a nearby chair. Katherine's sharp intake of breath made it clear that she wasn't expecting this turns of events, either. Stefan's eyes were closed, his arms lifelessly resting on the carpet, but he seemed to come back to his senses when Damon straddled his waist again, the stake raised high above his head. Stefan whimpered and struggled beneath him, but none of it mattered. Damon was able to keep him down with one hand.

"I have killed thousands of people. Humans, vampires. I have never been so excited. I have never been so fucking pissed."  
>"Damon, don't…" Stefan begged, and Elena nervously clenched her hands behind her back.<p>

"You fucked up big time, Stefan. No one hurts Elena and lives to talk about it. You are no exception." For a moment Damon stopped, and turned to stare at Elena. Her eyes were filled with tears, but they weren't of sadness. They were of relief and justice. She nodded once. It was enough. Damon rearranged the stake in his palm, and gritted his teeth as he gave his brother a last look of pure contempt. "Rot in hell."

Elena held her breath as he lowered the stake. Inches before it slipped into Stefan's chest, Katherine's hand was wrapped around Damon's.

"If you do this, you will regret it in a few decades." A low growl built within Damon's throat.

"Stay out of this," he barked, and Katherine shook her head.

"Sorry, can't do."

In another blur, the stake flew in the air, landing near the bathroom door, and Katherine had dragged Stefan back to his feet. He was barely conscious, but she didn't seem to struggle too hard to carry him.

"Trust me, you will be thanking me in a few years," she said to Damon, who instantly rose up to his feet, and made a move to approach her. She raised a hand warningly.

"Don't make a fool of yourself by thinking that you can go after people stronger than you are, like your brother did." That stopped him dead on his tracks.

"I will be seeing you around, Elena," she called cheerfully, as she climbed over the window. "I think I like your small town. We might stick around a little bit."

* * *

><p>Lucy looked up from the magazine she had been flipping through over the last hour, when Katherine blurred into the room and deposited a very unconscious Stefan on the couch.<p>

"He is going to get blood on the carpet," she pointed out, her lips forming a disapproving scowl.

"Then, you will do one of your magic tricks to clean it. I am not willing to play maid for you," Kat shot back, walking towards the wet bar and pouring herself a generous amount of the first kind of alcohol she came across. Vodka.

"Whatever happened to him, anyway?" Katherine shrugged indifferently.

"Damon knocked him down. He was quite sexy while doing it, I might add." Damon had always been hot, even when he was nothing but a mere human. Now… well, it turned out that immortality really suited him.

"Damon?" Lucy placed the magazine on the coffee table and sat up straighter. "I thought you were supposed to make sure that Stefan was kept locked inside a cell."

"I don't like doing what I am told," Katherine smirked. "Things were getting boring for my taste. I decided to spice them up," she ignored Lucy's head moving from side to side in disappointment. She would gladly see that head rolling on the floor, if only she didn't need a witch by her side. "I freed Stefan, met Elena, and helped Damon burn off some steam. Plus, I got myself a Gilbert device. Busy day." She fished into her pocket for a few seconds, and then triumphantly held the precious object up. Lucy stood up, and stretched her hand towards her. Katherine instantly hid the device behind her back.

"No one is touching this," she warned sternly, and the witch rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. So, now that you have it, what are you going to do with it?"

"Wait for the right moment to kill a bunch of vengeful vampires."

Lucy sighed and glanced around the room. The house they had chosen to live in while in Mystic Falls was in fact a mansion. It was beautiful, decorated with all sorts of ridiculously expensive items. She appreciated the luxury and comfort that came with it, but terribly missed her own humble apartment.

"You got what you wanted. I have paid my debt to you, which means I am free to go." Her words made Katherine stare at her incredulously and chuckle. She set down the glass, and slowly approached the younger woman.

"We both know that wasn't our deal, Lucy." Katherine said, a sinister smile on her lips. "By helping me get the device you have repaid your own life. However, I clearly remember saving not only you, but also your mother, father and two annoying sisters." She cocked her head to the side as Lucy fixed her eyes on the floor. "It will be a long time before you will _not_ be in debt to me. Deal with it, please, because right now, I have to welcome someone into the vampire world," she added, as a faint gasp from the second floor reached her ears.

Caroline was awake.

**Don't think I have forgotten of our beloved Caroline. We will see more of her right at the beginning of the next chapter. Will she complete the transition? Or not? If yes, will it be her own choice? Hmmmm….**

**Chapter 11 is actually in progress… I have two scenes completed, but the two waiting to be written are much lengthier. Hopefully, I will be able to update before the end of August. (not making any promises, though)**

**I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on the way the story is progressing. I understand that the pace might seem a little slow right now, but there is a saying that I think is very fitting in this case… something about the calm before the storm? *winks***

**Anyway!**

**For update news, TVD rambling and general discussions you can follow me on twitter: ts_eirini**

**Make sure to leave a beautiful review for me, and I'll send naked Damons to you! Xoxo**

**Take care, you amazing readers!**

**Eirini.**

**P.S. Big fat thanks to my friend and beta Grace4Delena aka Frickholic for helping me perfect this story. You should read her two brilliant one-shots if you haven't already! Trust me, you won't regret it! The girl has talent!**


	11. New endings

***clears throat***

**Good morning/Good evening, depending on where on earth this update finds you! **

**A big THANK YOU to Grace4Delena aka Frickholic, the best beta I could ever have!**

**Go ahead and read this admittedly really long chapter. You will find my usual rant at the end!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!**

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><p>"<em>Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."<em>

* * *

><p>Caroline gasped as she abruptly sat up on the unfamiliar bed, the room around her spinning for a few moments before settling down, and allowing her to realize that she was someplace she didn't recognize.<p>

"Well, crap," she whispered under her breath, rubbing her palm on the soft comforter. This wasn't the Boarding House, she was certain of that. The bedroom she was in was decorated in a more modern way. The walls were painted crème, the furniture was made of ebony, and the covers of the bed were a burgundy red. "Where the hell am I?" she asked, squinting. It wasn't easy to make out many details, since the only illumination came from a floor lamp placed in the opposite corner of the room.

Shaking her head, she threw her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. Apart from a minor case of dizziness, she didn't feel anything. No pain, nothing. Which was totally _not_ normal, given that the last thing she remembered was Elena driving a knife through her heart.

"That bastard," she cursed lowly, as the image of Stefan filled her head. She had never hated a person more than him in her entire life. He had been cruel, and sick, and …a vampire? A loud gasp escaped her lips, and she froze as another memory flashed behind her eyelids. Sharp white teeth aligned to her stomach, and blue eyes surrounded by bloody red glaring down at her. The rest of the man's, _vampire's_, she corrected herself,features were hazy. She knew him. She couldn't explain how, or why, or when, but she knew him. She had met another vampire, then? How could she had forgotten?

"You look like you saw a ghost," the familiar voice brought her out of her confusing thoughts, and Caroline sighed in relief as she lunged to wrap her arms around Elena.

"Elena, oh my God, I am so glad you are alive! What happened? How did we get out of there? What is this place?" she couldn't help but frown when Elena remained motionless in her embrace. Something was wrong.

"Elena?" she asked pulling back to get a closer look at her. Her hair was curly again, when did she get the chance to do it? For how long had Caroline been unconscious anyway? And she had put on eye-shadow. Elena rarely used eye-shadow.

"No, it's Katherine," Elena replied smirking. Since when did Elena smirk? "But I am sure it's a pleasure to meet me."

"Katherine?" Caroline exclaimed, incredulity clear in her tone "Elena, come on, cut the crap. Are you high, or something?"

Katherine rolled her eyes.

"My name is Katherine. I am aware that Elena is wearing my face, but she sure as hell can't wear my clothes. Can she?" she pointed down at her skin tight jeans, matched with a low-cut red shirt and boots that reached up to her knees.

Caroline wobbled slightly. She had a point.

"So, you are saying that not only vampires exist, but also by some freaky twist of fate Elena has a twin?"

"I am more like her 60th great-grandmother, but twin sounds more appealing, yes," Katherine shrugged, and took a strand of her locks between her fingers, playing with it. "But you are asking the wrong questions."

"And what is the right question?" Caroline snapped back. She preferred the ordinary version of Elena. This Katherine girl had too much of an attitude for her style.

"What are _you?_"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Caroline wondered aloud. Were these riddles really necessary? Couldn't Katherine just spit out whatever she was trying to say?

"You are slow," Katherine groaned, plopping down on the bed, and leaning backwards on her palms. "I expected you to be smarter. If I had known you were a brainless Barbie, I would have never given you my blood."

"Your blood?" Caroline closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. "Okay, you are officially making no sense, and I have more than had my share of dealing with psychos, so if you'll excuse me, I've got a life to get back to." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she started walking towards the door. She didn't even make it to the middle of the room. Suddenly, a body collided with her own, and she was harshly thrust against a wall. Her head burned from where it came in contact with the hard concrete, and the hand that was pressing down on her throat didn't exactly make it easy for her to breath. She attempted to scowl at Katherine, whose brown eyes now looked positively terrifying as the white of the sclera gave its place to bright red. _Vampire._

Katherine felt Caroline's body relaxing, and her shoulders slumping down in defeat.

"Listen to me, Barbie. If it weren't for me, you would be six feet under right now. I don't care if you are genetically imbecile, but if you don't prove to be helpful to me, I will kill you, and use your blood to make strawberry margaritas. Do you understand?" she tightened her grip, and Caroline chocked. "Do you understand?"

Caroline nodded as best as she could, tears streaming down her face. Perhaps it would have been easier if she had really died. Katherine withdrew her arm, and Caroline slid down the wall until she was sitting on the cold floor. She gently massaged her neck as she looked up. Katherine had her hands resting on the sides of her waist as she glared down at her.

"This is how it works. I am going to explain it once, so listen closely. I am a vampire. I gave you my blood. You died. My blood brought you back. You are now in transition. You feed and you live," a crimson bag landed in front of Caroline's naked feet. She glanced down. Blood. "You don't feed, and you die. It's your choice." Caroline swallowed hard and looked away from the bag. There was a part of her that felt disgusted at its content. But that didn't stop her stomach from growling, or her mouth from watering.

Katherine's boots clinked loudly on the wooden boards as she slowly moved away.

"Oh," Caroline gasped as she once again focused her eyes on the intimidating vampire. She could no longer see Elena in her. Elena had never, could never look so sinister. "_Eau de rotting corpse_ isn't really one of my favourites."

Caroline's jaw dropped as the vampire blurred out of sight. She was all alone again. She absentmindedly licked her lips, as she hesitantly brought her right index down, and ran it over the surface of the bag. The material gave in under the pressure of her digit, and a faint pain started building inside her gums. She could now sense the liquid as it swirled away from her thrusting finger. It wasn't very warm, or very cold, and she found herself wondering how it would feel pooling inside her mouth, and then sliding down her aching throat.

She gasped loudly, and pulled her hand back as if she had been burnt. With a frustrated sigh, she kicked the bag away. It skidded across the shiny floor and ended up beneath the bed, hidden from her.

Good, she didn't need it under nose, practically begging her to be drunk. Because she wasn't really considering drinking it, right? For what? To become a vampire? No, that was insane.

Caroline dropped her head on top of her knees, and closed her eyes tightly, hoping it would help her forget her burning throat, and the delicious smelling blood only a few meters away from her.

* * *

><p>Elena gritted her teeth against the chilly wind that sneaked under her dress, and brought goosebumps on her skin. She had wisely chosen to put her hair up in a ponytail, so as she stood in front of Matt's freshly dug grave, there wasn't hair flying around her face and blocking her view. She could perfectly make out the vibrant brown, still wet soil that covered his coffin. There was absolutely nothing indicating this was his resting place. Nothing except for Damon's word that is, who had watched the grave diggers as they worked. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and placed down the red rose she had been holding so far. She felt the tears building behind her eyelids and she wondered if her body would ever stop having this reaction. Was there a certain limit to the tears a person could shed? Because with her luck, it probably wouldn't take her more than a couple of years to reach it.<p>

"It gets easier you know," Damon murmured, pushing his hands into the pockets of his black slacks.

"What? Burying people I love?" Elena commented dryly, making him sigh, and stare up at the sky. Several times he had asked himself the same questions that were surely buzzing around in her head. Why did this have to happen to him? Why not somebody else? Why had Katherine chosen to move into Mystic Falls in 1864? Why did he have to fall in love with her? Why did he have to have such an unstable idiot for a brother? He never really found any answers. He doubted he ever would.

But nothing can ever come out of a self-inflicted torture of what ifs and whys. Eventually you need to get over it. You need to understand that reality is a bitch, and accept that some things just have to be this way.

"Life," he clarified. "You will figure out how to get through the shit it throws at you."

"Every time something bad happens, I promise to myself that next time it will be different, I will be prepared, I will be ready, I will be strong. But I am always brought down on my knees. Whoever's up there doesn't want to give me a break." Damon chuckled.

"Whoever is up there doesn't give a fuck about us, Elena. Don't be fooled. There are no _angels_ waiting to fight your battles, to solve your problems, to live your life. That's all on you."

The sound of approaching footsteps made Elena exchange a look of alarm with Damon, before standing up to her full height. His fingers gently but firmly wrapped around her elbow, and she allowed him to pull her a little closer. There was a figure walking closer to them, a man dressed in black, his head bowed down, hiding his features.

Damon frowned as he struggled to place him. He had seen him before, he was certain of it, and when against all odds the sun managed to shine brightly through a tiny gap between the black clouds, the man turned his head to the side to avoid the sudden blinding rays. It was enough.

"Maurice," Damon growled under his breath, taking the necessary steps to stand protectively in front of Elena. For once, she didn't protest, and he was relieved. He wasn't sure whether Bonnie's dad should be considered a threat. What he did know, was that when he had let him walk out of the Boarding house alive, he had warned him to get away fast. Well, this… this was clearly not him getting away.

"What are you doing here?" Damon demanded as Maurice paused a few feet from them and smiled sadly. Elena frowned as she took in the lines on the skin of his forehead, lines that hadn't been there a few days ago. That weekend had left them all scared.

"I was saying goodbye to Bonnie. I knew that Matt would be around here, too, but had no further clues as to where exactly. Not until you two showed up."

"Okay, now you know where he is. You can disappear anytime, anywhere, any place, just, like you agreed."

"Damon," Elena intervened, feeling sorry for the older man. Damon was attacking him for no reason. Maurice was one of the kindest people she had ever met, and he wasn't dangerous, since he wasn't a witch like his daughter. Bonnie had inherited her powers from her mother, who had taken the legacy from her own mother. So, there really wasn't any need for this hostility. She walked around Damon, making sure, though, to remain close to him.

"We thought he should be near people he knew," she explained, motioning at her parents' graves next to Matt's.

"That was very thoughtful of you," he whispered with a sigh. "I wasn't close to Matt, but Bonnie used to talk about him often. He was a good friend." Elena nodded.

"Yes, he was."

Damon was still on the alert. Could anyone blame him, really? After everything? He knew that eventually he would need to take a step back and leave Elena live her life, instead of acting like a fucking overprotective boyfriend. Friend. Ex boyfriend's brother. Whatever. For now, he would stick around.

"Bonnie should have never allowed Matt's death," Maurice muttered, making Damon chuckle. There were a lot of things that bitch of a witch shouldn't have done. He bit down on his tongue, swallowing the hail of insults that were dying to get out of his lips. No matter how gratifying and right they may have sounded in his head, calling Bonnie names wouldn't have done any good. It would have rather earned him one of Elena's "special glares". No, thank you.

"She did it to save you," Elena replied coldly. Damon had given her the short version of how Stefan had gotten Bonnie to help him. She could now feel a little bit of sympathy for her dead best friend. Being forced to pick between your only parent and your friends can't be easy. It wasn't enough to forgive her.

"Bonnie chose wrong, Elena, and we both know it. You don't want to say it in my face, because you don't want to hurt me. You are a nice girl. But you can't do any more damage. I am already disappointed at my daughter. I raised her so that she could be what she was destined to. A powerful witch. A fair, right powerful witch. Not someone who sacrifices the lives of two young people with no reason." Damon raised an eyebrow in shock. It seemed like Witchy hadn't gotten her insanity from the male side of her family. The man sounded reasonable enough, and his arguments were even better than his own. Huh. Elena remained silent, equally taken aback. She was surprised that a parent could be so _not_ sad at his offspring's death.

"I will get going now," Maurice said after a few moments of nothing but silence. "I wish you all the best for the rest of your lives. Both of you," he nodded in Damon's direction, who managed an awkward grimace in response. "I am sorry that Bonnie's actions caused you so much grief and pain. Goodbye."

* * *

><p>"Hey, are you okay?" Damon asked, gently grapping Elena's arm, effectively keeping her from unlocking the front door of the house. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then turned around to face him. His expression was warm and open and worried. How could people fall for his façade? How could they actually believe he was a monster? How could <em>she<em> had seen him as a monster?

"I will be," she whispered, swallowing down the lump that was starting to form on the back of her throat. Inside, everyone was waiting for them. Jenna had kept worrying over her and Jeremy over the weekend, so Damon had asked Alaric to take away her vervain spiked perfume. Now, Damon would compel her, giving her a bunch of excuses as to why both kids had been missing for so long. Jeremy and Anna were here, too. They were leaving tonight, and had come to say goodbye. And of course, Anna would have to compel Jenna a little more. "Eventually," she added quietly, and Damon cocked his head to the side. Never breaking eye contact, he raised his hand, and delicately stroked the side of her chin. She leaned into his touch.

"I just wish I knew what was going on with Caroline," she admitted. Damon nodded. He had been searching for Barbie for several long hours, but to no avail. It was like she had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever. Which made absolutely no sense. Even if she were dead, he would have at least managed to catch her scent. He also couldn't find Cruella and Jasper. The coincidence reeked of troubles.

"I will try again tomorrow, okay?" he promised. "They have to be in town, I will find them." He didn't mention how hard it would be, he didn't share his suspicions that the reason behind their nonexistent scents was the new witch's doing. Somehow he would find his way around it, even if it was really a spell. Anything to see Elena smiling again.

Elena gazed up at him appreciatively, and then opened the door. As soon as she walked into the small hall of the house, Jenna rushed out from the living room. Elena had barely enough time to take in the expression on her Aunt's face. Her eyes were wide, her look one of pure worry as tears streamed down her face. Then Jenna had wrapped her arms around Elena's body, squeezing her so tightly that her back started to ache.

"Hey, Jenna," she breathed into her hair, unable to hug her back, since her arms had been caught between their bodies. "It's okay."

"What happened, Elena?" Jenna pulled back, and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her once. "Your phone was turned off, and I couldn't reach Jeremy, either. Where the hell were you?"

"Jenna, I promise I am fine, we are both fine. I am so sorry."

"I thought something had happened to you. Even John was worried," Jenna sniffed and took a step back. Her eyes fell on Damon, who was still standing on the doorstep. "And what's with this get-together? Alaric drove me here and refused to leave, Jeremy brought his friend, Anna, and now you and Damon? I don't understand…"

Elena glanced helplessly back at Damon, who puckered his lips together. This wasn't something he was used to. Being nice, and gentle. The only human he had ever cared to be kind to was Elena. But it looked like the closer to her he got, the more civilized he would have to act. Did he really want this? Was it worth it?

Somewhere in Elena's brown gaze he found his answer. He blinked, and suddenly there were scenes flashing behind his eyelids, memories. Elena laughing as he caught the glass that had slipped through her fingers, the sound of the slap she gave him over Vicky's dead body, the shortness of her breath while they were dancing for the Pageant, the way she clung at him after he brought her safely back home. But the most vivid memory of all was one that had taken place several months ago, back when Elena was just a normal seventeen year old girl, carefree and happy, and gorgeous in her innocence.

They hadn't known each other like they did now. They were just two strangers who happened to cross paths. Well actually, he had happened to be lying on the ground, right in the middle of the road she was wandering on. Damon wasn't even sure whether he was hunting, or just chilling. Over the decades, he had learned that particular trick could be effective to both ends. But he could remember the very first moment he saw her. Oh yeah. He almost had a heart attack. His long lost love was nervously pacing back and forth, only a few feet away from him. He could remember getting up in a blur, running up to her, and immediately realizing something was off. Her scent wasn't right. Well, it was right. It was perfect, even. But it wasn't Katherine's. A surge of anger had clouded his mind for a moment, but then she had opened her mouth and told him her name. And he knew he couldn't harm her. There was something about that girl. Her sideways flirty smile? The one that he had never seen her smile again? Was it the trust she had immediately shown him? The adorable frustration in her eyes as she talked about her lover's quarrel with Matt? No. No, it wasn't that. Frankly, he had no idea what it was.

Regardless, after that night, he found himself often thinking back to his human days. Back when he used to have dreams. Dreams that didn't involve bringing a mummified two-faced girlfriend back to the world of the living. Dreams that didn't involve contemplating researching the world's most painful torture machines and techniques to use on his own brother. He used to have dreams about himself, dreams about family, and growing old next to a woman he would love. Dreams he had to abandon the moment he had his first taste of human blood and joined the vampire club.

Now, as he stood frozen at the front door of the Gilbert house, two pairs of eyes focused on him, one begging for explanations and the other one for help… he knew that the only way to get as close as possible to the life he used to dream of, was with Elena next to him. He would never be human again, he had to accept that a long time ago. He'd never have kids, hell, he would probably suck at it anyway, and turn them into sex, or booze addicts, or both. But perhaps he could adjust to a certain extent his unnatural vampire life to the human one he had planned.

"Everything is fine, Jenna," he said reassuringly, laying his hand on Elena's waist to push her further inside, so that he could close the door behind him. He could almost sense Jenna's burning stare on his arm. If she were a witch, she would have definitely given him a couple of aneurysms. Yikes. "We are just going to have a little talk."

Elena couldn't help but flinch when she realized how wrong this had sounded, and how wrong the whole situation looked.

"You..." Jenna trailed, pointing at the nonexistent space between their bodies "Oh, God," she slapped her forehead, extending her arm towards the wall, using it to keep herself upright. "You two got together behind Stefan's back, and now Elena's pregnant."

"What? No!" Elena screamed in horror, feeling the blush that crept all the way up to the roots of her hair.

_Pregnant? Jesus Christ, guardians were really obsessed with the pregnancy thing._ Damon tried to hold back his smirk. _Not that he wouldn't love to try. Again. And again. And again. Still...drama much?_

Jenna apparently took Damon's silence as a confirmation to her suspicions.

"Oh my God, I need to sit down. I think I am going to faint," Jenna exclaimed, turning her back on them, and walking away with wobbling steps.

"Come on," Damon pointed his chin towards the living room. "The sooner we get this started, the sooner we can put it behind us."

Elena allowed him to lead her deeper inside the house, where everyone was waiting. Jeremy stood up immediately, and gave Elena a short hug. She smiled softly as she realized that it wasn't that hard this time. She didn't feel like screaming at the sensation of his firm grip on her.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to know that we need to get this over with quickly," he glanced at Damon. "Jenna is going crazy with worry, we can't let her go through this anymore."

Elena nodded, inhaling through her nose, before approaching the couch Jenna was sitting on. Alaric was standing behind her sobbing aunt, his features pulled in a grimace. Elena tried unsuccessfully to catch his eyes. Was he mad at her? She suddenly felt the weight of someone's gaze on her, and she gasped as she spotted the brown haired vampire more, or less hiding at the corner. She offered her a tiny smile; that was all she could handle. Anna was Jeremy's girlfriend, whom he was deeply in love with, and without her they'd probably both be dead. But Anna had also kidnapped her a few weeks ago.

"Okay, Jenna," Damon's voice was surprisingly smooth as he inched his way closer, slowly, making sure not to startle her.

"Why are you here?" Jenna eyed him warily.

"You wanted to know what happened this weekend, and I am here to tell you." She still didn't look convinced.

"Why you? Why not Elena, or Jeremy?"

"Look, they are both here," he whispered, gently taking her left hand in his as he kneeled down in front of her. "There's nothing to be afraid of, okay?"

"Okay," she finally replied.

"Friday night you dropped Elena off to spend her weekend with Stefan," Damon started speaking in a quiet tone, and Elena could tell the moment her aunt gave into the pull of his compulsion. Her pupils dilated, her tears stopped falling, and her entire body visibly relaxed. "They got into a fight, an ugly one, and Elena broke things off. She gave Caroline a call and they spent the weekend together. Just watching movies, eating junk food and all that. Her phone died, and then she forgot to call you and say she was ok. She was fine, though. She cried at first, until Caroline reminded her what a strong, wonderful woman she is, and that she shouldn't waste her tears for someone like Stefan." Damon's voice broke for a moment, and Alaric staggered back. Elena threw her hand over her mouth, feeling her lips trembling beneath it. Jeremy turned his head to the side, his eyes meeting Anna's, their fingers intertwining. "You were really worried about her, but you know how it is, a teenage break-up is like the end of the world. Right?"

"Yes," Jenna nodded "they can mess you up."

"Exactly," Damon chuckled under his breath "so, you are not going to ground her like you were planning to. You are going to buy lots of ice-cream, and one of these days rent some chick flicks, so that you can have a girls night. That is what Elena needs. Comfort, food, and comedies.""

"Yes."

"Good," Damon glanced up over his shoulder at Anna, who nodded, and moved to settle down next to Jenna.

Damon stood up, feeling the circulation in his legs resuming, and he rolled his shoulders. They were stiff. The back of his neck also hurt, and damn if he couldn't feel a headache building up. In all his one hundred and sixty four years he had never before heard of a vampire having headaches. If he were human, he'd be collapsing on the floor right now. But he was a vampire. He was stronger than humans. His senses were also a lot more developed. His eyes were focused on Anna's back, as it rose and fell slowly from her calm breathing. Words were flowing out of her mouth, lies that she was planting into Jenna's head. In his peripheral vision, Alaric was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his jaw locked, but trembling. Damon would take a wise guess and say he didn't like what they were doing to his newest girlfriend. Damn, he should have thrown in the compulsion that Alaric needed to get laid more. That would have softened him up.

Despite all these thoughts, he was still able to pick up the faint sound of Elena's footsteps as she quietly exited the room. He turned around, and managed to catch a glimpse of the back of her body as she disappeared. Damon sighed. He should have expected this wouldn't be easy for her. Well, he had expected it. But what was he supposed to do? Lock her up in her bedroom so that she wouldn't have to see vampires screwing with her aunt's mind? Without a word to the others, he followed the sound of her heartbeat, chuckling darkly to himself when it lead him to the front porch. The irony definitely didn't escape him. Here was where she had asked him to compel her brother. At least this time, it wasn't his own behavior that had brought on the need for mind control.

Elena was standing next to the stairs, her head shaking from side to side. Her voice was unsteady when she spoke.

"I am a horrible person."

"No, you are not." She span around, her expression angry.

"I have now had two out of the three living members of my family compelled. You know what happened when Jeremy found out. He was furious. He didn't even want to look me in the eye."

"And then he got over it, Elena. You were helping him, and you are helping Jenna. You're doing the best you can. Which is by itself hard to do, given that you don't exactly live in the Emerald City."

She didn't seem very persuaded from his words. Elena took a deep breath, and then frowned as she examined his face. Now what?

"You need to get some sleep," she pointed out.

"I'm fine." Damon shrugged, and Elena rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, and the huge, scary black bags under your eyes, are an irrefutable proof of that," Elena huffed out, walking closer. "Seriously, Damon. I need you to get some rest tonight. You look horrible." Damon gasped.

"You are mean, milady. Normally I am told I am smoking hot."

"Damon, I am being serious," she scolded, putting her hands on the sides of her waist, and attempting a mini-glare on him. His expression changed instantly.

"I am being serious, too, Elena," he replied sharply "Stefan is out there. Stefan is out there with Katherine," he amended "which is worse. And dangerous. Sleep is out of the question when they can barge into your bedroom whenever they want to add some spice to their unlives." The wheels into Elena's head started spinning as a plan slowly formed. He cringed.

"What if we were somewhere where they cannot enter?" she suggested.

"They both have a free pass to your house," She was actually painfully aware of that.

Elena's gaze flickered to something behind his shoulder, and Damon glanced back in confusion. Alaric was now standing by the front door, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Neither has been invited into my place, though."

* * *

><p>"Oh, yay!" Damon cheered mockingly, as he, Elena and Alaric climbed up the stairs to the latter's apartment. "I have always dreamed of having a sleep over with a teenager, and a thirty something years old, who's more often than not day-drunk."<p>

Alaric clenched his hands into fists, as he struggled to block Damon's nonstop complaint session. He'd been mumbling since the moment they left the Gilbert house, and honestly, he was starting to regret choosing to act all nice, and helpful. When he had mistakenly overheard Elena's conversation with Damon, something had crawled inside him, and he had blurted the words, before his mind could control his tongue. Just as he couldn't control it right now.

"Look who's talking." Damon scoffed but didn't respond.

"What a nice… Spartan hovel," Damon drawled bitterly, while Alaric fumbled with the key of the door. Elena leaned against the banister, momentarily closing her eyes. This was bad. As far as she had known, Damon and Alaric had been spending more and more time together lately. She had assumed they had developed some sort of friendship between them, but this didn't seem very fun for either one of them. Both men were fuming on the inside, and if she looked closer she would very possibly be able to see smoke rising from their ears, as well.

"I never promised the Four Seasons," Alaric pointed out as he turned on the lights, and stepped to the side to let them inside. He frowned when no one moved, and raised his head in confusion. Damon's lips were pulled in a tight smile, his arms raised so that his hands were resting against the doorframe. Oh.

"I have that sudden urge to hit my head with a baseball bat," he groaned. What damned force had pushed him into believing this was a good idea?

"Invite me in, and I'll be sure to relieve you from that inconvenience." Damon shot back sarcastically .

"Get your butt in here, Salvatore," Alaric said tiredly, holding the door open wider. Damon theatrically raised his foot off the floor, and gasped even more dramatically when he finally stepped inside.

"We just need a bed to crash on, Alaric. Don't pay attention to Damon," Elena reassured him as she followed them inside. The place was admittedly larger than what she had expected. A little messy, which was however not surprising, given that Alaric kept the house by himself.

"Yeah, about that…" Alaric nervously scratched the back of his head, as he mentally prepared himself for what was definitely coming his way. "There is only one guest room," Damon's expression froze "which of course Elena is taking."

Elena glanced between the two men in confusion. "And how are you two going to sleep?"

"I am sure Mr. History teacher is ready to spend a night on the couch. Isn't that right?" he demanded, taking a few steps, and coming to a halt inches from Alaric. Damon was actually shorter, even though he did a good job in looking intimidating.

"I didn't invite you in here, so that I could sleep on my highly uncomfortable couch."

"Well, that's unfortunate, because Damon Salvatore doesn't couch guard."

"I never said he'd have to," Alaric replied coolly, and Elena shook her head in disbelief.

"He means you're going to have to sleep together, Damon," she explained when he gave her a blank look, her eyes lighting up with humor. Under different circumstances he would have smiled at the image of her in a good mood, but… he and Alaric?

"We might be drink-buddies, but we'll never be promoted drink-buddies with benefits," he spat, pushing Alaric backwards with his hand.

"Is sex all you ever think about?" Alaric asked disgusted, moving deeper into the apartment. "As if sharing a bed with you has been my wild secret fantasy since the moment I met you."

"Well, no one would blame you," Damon muttered matter-of-factly, and Elena chuckled. The sound was a little weird, stiff… cold. But hey, baby steps, right?

"This is going to be an entertaining night." Damon narrowed his eyes, and pointed a warning index finger at her.

"Come, Elena, I will show you your room," Alaric intervened, grabbing her forearm to lead her in the right direction. Elena jumped up in fear, and quickly slipped out of his grasp, taking steps backwards until she could feel the heat of Damon's strong body against her back. Her heart was beating at a frenzied speed, and Damon growled at Alaric. "Sorry, I am sorry," he breathed, raising his hands in front of him. "I didn't mean to scare you, I just... didn't think."

"It's okay. I can't keep getting a heart attack every time someone touches me," Elena murmured, taking a deep breath to regain her composure. She nodded to herself, and smiled softly at Alaric. He looked absolutely terrified. "Let's go see my bed for tonight."

They were halfway across the room, when Alaric pointed at the black punching bag hanging from the ceiling, that apparently had grabbed Elena's attention, given her wide eyes, and slowed pace.

"That's the bag I used while training as a vampire hunter," there was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but Elena failed to notice. She was still gaping at the big black thing, as she resumed walking behind Alaric.

* * *

><p>Caroline was shivering. She hadn't moved an inch since Katherine had left the room, and the only reason she knew a whole day had passed, was because the curtains weren't entirely covering the windows. She had silently watched as the tiny sliver of sunlight had gotten stronger and stronger until it faded into darkness. She closed her eyes tightly, as the pounding inside her skull intensified. It had only worsened as time went by, along with the fogginess of her thoughts. There was no logical consistency in them any more, they were simply fractured pieces of her memories, of her dreams. The bike her dad gave her on her eight birthday, the Christmas Eve that her mom had to put on her uniform and go down to the station, a sleep-over at Bonnie's place, the funeral of Elena's parents, Matt cuddling with her on the bed, her room, the colleges she had planned to apply to the next year, and the blood. It was as if she was more and more aware of its presence with every moment. She couldn't see it, but its smell was driving her insane. It was filling her nostrils, it was almost slipping through her pores. She sucked in a deep breath and regretted it instantly. How could she smell the blood, anyway? <em>Oh, right, because I'm transitioning into a vampire, <em>she chuckled to herself. All traces of humor escaped her when Katherine's voice echoed in her head. _You don't feed and you die._

"I am dying," Caroline whispered brokenly, her lower lip trembling uncontrollably. Everything she had dreamed of, all the fights she'd had, all the beautiful moments, the parties, the boys… none of it mattered anymore. They were fading away, _she_ was fading away. She cried, then, because she hadn't been prepared to face death so soon. If she had known, she would have begged her father to come visit her for a few days, she would have been a little nicer to her mom, she would have chosen to spend a few more moments with her friends, instead of going to the salon to get her nails and hair done. She had wasted her life, doing things that weren't important. She had been vain, and immature, and silly, and now she wouldn't get the chance to fix it.

_You feed and you live_.

With a sharp twist of her wrist, Caroline wiped her tears off her cheeks, and untangled her limbs. It took a lot more effort that what she had assumed to drag herself the few meters separating her from the queen sized bed. Her entire body hurt with every breath that she took, and she knew she had to hurry. She reached her right arm underneath the furniture, sighing in relief the moment her fingers came in contact with the slick surface of the bag. She grabbed it, and pulled back, almost falling on the floor in the process. She was weak, her vision was starting to get hazy, but she was Caroline Forbes and she was determined to survive. In whatever form. With shaking hands, she managed to pull the lid off the bag, and without over thinking it, she raised it in the air, her lips closing around the fluid tube, and her tongue darting out.

She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her when the first drops of liquid fell into her awaiting mouth. Her eyes closed, her grip on the bag tightening, making the blood flow faster. She drank and drank, moaning in satisfaction. It was better than any drink she'd ever head, better than any kind of chocolate. It was heaven in a bottle, or rather bag. It was over too soon, and Caroline was out of breath as she dropped the bag to the side, and stood up on her feet. Gone was the dizziness, and the pain. She felt lighter, but also stronger. It was a mesmerizing sensation.

Her gaze fell on the mirror above the vanity desk, and she walked closer, not failing to notice that her moves were more graceful now, even though she had always been able to carry herself delicately. Her smile widened as she took in her reflection. She looked exactly the same. Well, minus the makeup and the perfectly curled hair, but it was still _her._ She had been slightly worried that she'd now be all freakish like a zombie or something.

"You watch too much television, Caroline," she muttered to herself, turning around, and practically dancing downstairs.

She vaguely noticed how nicely decorated the house was as she followed the sounds of music. They lead her to a wide living room, and Katherine, Elena's vampire twin, who was curled into a red armchair. She stood up the moment Caroline walked inside, and blurred to stand in front of her. Caroline gasped, and took a tiny step back.

"Took you long enough! I was about to come, and force that stupid blood down your throat," she snapped, and the blonde shook her head in disbelief. This Katherine character had too much frustration bottled inside. She was always throwing a fit.

"I thought you said it was my choice," she said instead, and Katherine's perfectly shaped eyebrow rose.

"I don't like my blood going to waste. And before you get all emotional on me, I didn't feed you my blood to save you. I needed a vampire, and then, there you were…drenched in your own blood, heart beating its last notes…"

"You needed a vampire…" she whispered. "So, what? Now you get to order me around?"

"Everything in time," Katherine murmured, smiling for the first time. There was nothing nice, or comforting about that smile. It was like a lion smiling at you. Not so good, huh? "For now, you are free to do whatever you want."

Caroline frowned when Katherine took her hand, and walked towards what she assumed was the front door. Then, the door was open, and the cool winter air hit her face, reminding her how much she had missed being outside, happy, and free.

"You are letting me go? Just like that?" there had to be a trap somewhere. What if there was? Would she seriously miss out on the possibility of going out by herself?

"Just like that, Caroline," Katherine smirked. "You can go wherever you want, do whatever pleases you. Don't worry. That's your choice, I promise."

The new vampire glanced hesitantly between freedom and prison for a few times, and then she was gone, her new vampire powers used at the most, as she blurred across the yard and into the dark woods.

Katherine licked her lips. If that wasn't going to give this town a good shake up, she didn't know what was.

* * *

><p>"Do you get a nickel for every neighbor that you'll wake up?" Damon grumbled as he stumbled out of the bedroom. Alaric chuckled behind his tumbler. Damon was dressed in nothing but a pair of sweatpants, his hair was sticking everywhere, and he was currently rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked strangely… human. "Tell me that you at least have some quality bourbon in this dingy apartment of yours," Damon glared at him.<p>

"Second cabinet on my left, and if you don't like it, pack up and leave. I will be more than happy to have my nice double bed to myself again."

"Ssssh, we are keeping this a secret, remember?" Damon scolded, and blurred to the small place that Alaric called 'kitchen'. Alaric laughed. "Plus, it wasn't me who came up with this terrible let's-play-roomies plan. That's on you and Elena, man," Damon reminded, as he unceremoniously slumped down on the stool next to Alaric.

"The whole point of this was that Elena would be safe," the human pushed. "She is safe. You can go, instead of giving me a headache in the middle of the night."

"Aw, got a headache, Bud?" Damon teased, pouring himself some alcohol. "Huh. You don't say. Maybe that wouldn't have happened if you'd gotten your beauty sleep instead of kicking every fucking piece of furniture in this sad excuse of a house."Alaric sucked in a deep breath to keep down his temper.

"First of all, I just got a drink, and silently sat down here. It's not my fault mother nature gave you freakish senses. And secondly, don't call me Bud. I am not a dog."

"No, you're right. You are a freaking horse. Do you know you kick in your sleep?"

"Who said I was asleep, and not doing it on purpose?" Alaric suggested wickedly "Plus, you should be glad all I did was kick your shins. I could have aimed much higher than that. The lack of sheets on me would have easily allowed that range of movement."

"Careful, Ric. I don't respond well to threats, especially if the family jewels are involved," he stroked the apex of his thighs, and Alaric rolled his eyes and gulped down his drink.

"You know, you have the biggest stack of vervain I've ever seen, and several nifty anti-vampire weapons. Why haven't you thrown me out, yet?" Damon broke the heavy silence a few minutes later. He shrugged as Alaric raised a thick eyebrow in his direction.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Damon finished his drink and refilled both of their glasses. The first bottle was almost empty, and with the pace they were going, they would need at least three more to get through the night.

"I am a dick. I piss you off. I turned your wife. Ex wife. After I fucked her while you were still married, may I add, and just a few hours ago I compelled your newest girlfriend. Who has admitted she finds me hot, btw."

Alaric contemplated his answer. He had come in this town, determined to find the monster named Damon Salvatore and kill him. Instead, he found himself repeatedly bonding with said monster over bottles of bourbon. "I don't know," he said in defeat, running one hand through his hair. "You are a dick, no doubt on that, but…" he licked his lips, the strong flavor of bourbon hitting his taste buds. His head was getting heavier, he had been drinking for quite a while now, after all. "Elena seems to like having you around, and… I guess I just see something good in you," he shrugged.

Damon scoffed on his glass. _Something good._

"People have been seeing something good in my brother for decades. Look how well that turned out."

"Uh-ah, it's not the same. Your motives might be as twisted as spider webs more often than not, but at least your emotions are always clear to everyone with two eyes and a brain into his head. Stefan has better control of his feelings. Of the feelings he shows to the rest of the world, at least."

"Hmmm," Damon trailed, an index tracing the rim of his glass. _Damon the open book?_ That was a first.

"What happened over there, Damon? What did Stefan do?" Damon's movements seized, his face hardened.

"He killed that busboy, Matt, he somehow made Elena stab Caroline with a butcher's kind of knife, and Jeremy was in a bad shape, too. I don't know details."

"Elena hasn't talked about it?" Alaric asked in a softer tone.

"No, she… she isn't really into talking these days. She mostly cries… I…" the words died inside his throat, as his eyes fixed on a chair across the room. Its back was slightly chipped, but Alaric most likely hadn't even noticed.

"You are worried?" the human guessed, and Damon swallowed, and nodded once, curtly. Being nice to other people was one thing, but opening up and playing therapy session with them…no, that wasn't going to happen. At least not that night.

No more words were exchanged between the two men. But somehow, Ric knew he shouldn't press the issue further. So, instead, he brought a new bottle on the table, and poured so much of the liquid heaven into their glasses, that when they attempted to bring them up to their lips, round drops landed on the wooden surface. They smiled at each other, and downed the bourbon, pretending that it didn't burn their throats, pretending that they weren't both damaged, pretending that they were two normal people, two normal friends, having a normal night with booze. What hypocrites.

* * *

><p>"Get up."<p>

Damon groaned, and pushed his head harder against the pillow. There was a loud pounding inside his skull, unstable but firm. _Bang. Bang. Pause. Bang. _It pissed him to no end. And he was unfortunately familiar with its name. Hangover.

"Screw you," he growled, shoving away the large hand that was shaking his shoulder.

"Salvatore," Alaric's voice said warningly, as the human pulled back the covers, allowing the cool air to brush against Damon's naked chest. He gritted his teeth together. This would get bloody.

"It's Elena." For a millisecond Damon froze, his eyes wide open, his lips apart, no air entering or exiting his lungs. Then, he was out of the bed, Alaric long forgotten as he wrapped his fingers around the handle and all but ripped the door from its hinges. He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting. Katherine lounging on the sofa while Stefan feasted on Elena's blood? Elena curled up in a ball and sobbing? Elena dead?

Oh, he was surprised all right, but for a completely different reason. Elena was across the room, dressed in a pair of jeans, and a plain black T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a tight and high ponytail. Her feet were bare, but her small soft hands were hidden out of sight by a pair of big black gloves. Boxing gloves.

Damon glanced back at Alaric, one eyebrow raised, who shrugged his shoulders.

"I woke up and found her like this," he murmured under his breath "I tried talking to her, but it's like she couldn't hear me. I think she is in shock, or something."

Damon sighed as the pounding resumed. _Bang. Pause. Bang. Bang. Pause. Bang. _It wasn't the hangover screwing with his head, after all. It was Elena beating the hell out of the poor bag. Or attempting to beat the hell out of it. He could see the anger in the force behind her blows, he could hear the determination in her ragged curt breaths. She had to feel exhausted, there was sweat coming out of her skin, wetting her shirt, and her heart was practically on its way out of her chest. But she didn't give up. She allowed herself short periods, mere seconds of rest before resuming her task. Her moves were awkward, the lack of her skill obvious, as well as the strain of her muscles.

Damon would happily stand under the bright sunlight without his ring if it meant he'd get a glimpse of her thoughts. What was she thinking when she frowned for a split second before she inhaled deeply through her nose? What was printed behind her eyelids the moment her fist collided with the bag?

With small steps he approached her, noticing how she kept her posture, her gaze never once trailing away from her target to focus on him. She was moving in all the wrong ways, but still, there was something beautiful about her. He closed his lips tightly, and moved to stand behind the heavy bag. Elena punched it violently, and it thrust back into his waiting hands. He caught it, and took a few steps forwards, planting his feet steadily into the ground, and glancing at her almost hesitantly. She didn't meet his eyes, but she must have seen the slight nod he gave her when he was ready, because the exact next second, she was raising her arms in position, and after tightening her jaw, threw her fist forward.

A couple more of poorly executed blows later, Elena let her arms fall on the sides of her body, as her chest moved up and down rapidly. Damon glanced at Alaric, who was eyeing Elena warily.

"I want you to teach me," she said, her voice hoarse and trembling. Taking a deep breath, she met their gazes face on, first Alaric's and then Damon's. "I want you both to teach me how to be strong, how to defend myself."

"Okay," Alaric nodded.

And then they were both expectantly looking at Damon, who was still hugging the bag into his arms. The tiniest smile tugged on the corners of his lips.

"Well, this is going to be fun."

* * *

><p><em>You can't change what's already happened. <em>

_You can't go back in time, and correct all of your wrong decisions._

_Option A: you give up, and stay stuck in your memories, haunted night after night by the echoes of the tragedies you've lived through._

_Option B: you choose to live. Regardless of what it takes… a bag of human blood… a bunch of aching muscles… a leap of faith… You take the chance, and hope you'll make it to the end._

* * *

><p><strong>This final scene… I had it in my mind for so many days, weeks probably! It felt brilliant writing it. I hope it is as good as in my mind.<strong>

**I had promised we'd see Elena slowly getting back her old self, and maybe becoming even stronger, hadn't I? See? Now, she'll have both Damon and Alaric to help her on that! Interesting scenes to come!**

**Our sweet, poor Caroline. Of course I am happy she completed the transition, I am sure all of you are, too. But that doesn't mean life will be easy for her now. She is practically all alone, with absolutely no clue of what it means to be a vampire… Uh-oh. Is that trouble I see in the horizon? **

**Damon! Lots of Damon, huh? I mean… I even missed writing scenes from Elena's perspective in this chapter. But it was high time we got a glimpse of what is going on in _his_ head. **

**I enjoyed writing his scenes with Alaric. These two were awesome friends, and I doubt anyone will ever be able to feel that void in Damon's heart and life. *sigh***

**Next chapter, we'll definitely see more of Elena and Damon, Stefan (I know, I know you don't want him here, sorry), and Caroline. Who's excited? **

**Anyway, September=exams for me. I will try to have updated by the end of the month. We'll see how it'll go.**

**Follow me on twitter: ts_eirini**

**Until next time, take care!**

**Eirini**

**P.S. reviews are appreciated! **


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